Battle of the Bands
by fashiongrrl
Summary: Vampires in Love, the hottest new band around, meets local CA band the Scoobies, and trouble ensues when the lead singers clash. Can Buffy and Spike learn to get along before they wreck their concert tour? B/S, and the rest of the cast is here too! :)
1. Vampires in Love

**A/N:**  Why did I watch BTVS?  For Spike of course.  Why will I watch Angel?  For Spike.  :)  I'm a sucker for the B/S romance (well minus that whole ugliness at the end of Season 6, grrrr argggh).  This is my first shot at writing an actual fanfic story, thought I've been reading them for a year now.  I'm totally addicted to Spuffy fantasy type fics cuz they rock!  Hmmm what else do I have to say?  I like chocolate.  Wait that's not relevant.  I love Spike.  Mmm… Spike…. drool…. James Marsters… drool… Okay read on and enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters are mine, blah blah blah.  They're property of Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, Joss Whedon, etc etc etc.  I just borrowed them for a bit, I'm sure Joss won't mind.  Honestly, you can ask him yourself!

**Rating:** PG-13, no real reason because there's no PG-13 content yet.  But I like to use bad words so some might accidentally pop up here and there.  Gotta protect the kiddies!

**Summary:** It's not really "Battle of the Bands" like a contest, but more like two band lead singers that can't stand each other – but then fall hopelessly into the smoochies eventually.  Spike, Xander, Wesley (well think a young Wes), and Riley are in a band called Vampires in Love.  Andrew's their manager and Spike and Wes are brothers.  After struggling they've finally made it into the spotlight and are the hottest thing around.  Buffy, Willow, Faith, Tara, and Anya are in a small local Sunnydale band called the Scoobies, and they're still searching for that big break.  Of course Dawn and Joyce are around too because they're super cool as well.  Oh and hmmm, age-wise.  Let's see, they're all in their early 20s or so, either in college or post-college.  Well except Wesley, he's about 19.  And Dawn's about 17.  I think it helps to know the mentality and maturity of the character when trying to form a picture of them, but that's just my opinion.

**Dedication: **This is for Mars, to the MAXX.  (Not the planet, but the sister.)  I stuck MGB in here just for you, even though you never really read my stuff.  Sniff sniff.  J/k!  But that's okay because I get to make fun of you, what are little sisters for?!  :)

**Feedback:**  Of course!  I'm human, aren't I?  I mean… please, if you want to.  And btw, writing stories isn't my forte, I'm more of a poet/song lyricist so be gentle-ish if you can?  Hehehe.

**Chapter 1 – Vampires in Love**

A roar erupted through the MTV studios in downtown Manhattan as popular and lovable (and sometimes a bit annoying) VJ's Harmony Kendall and Warren Busch took the stage.  It was that time again for MTV's "Total Request Live," counting down what teeny boppers thought were the most fabulous videos and music of the moment.  Usually it consisted of fairly talented singers with some vanilla songs about love and life and loss, with a dance thrown in for good measure.  And then some days, a band would come along with real passion, real talent, and actual lyrics that meant something, and start something comparable to small wave of Beatle-mania but for a new-millennium generation.  This week the new "it" band was none other than Vampires in Love.

"Hey everyone, we're coming' at you live from Times Square in the Big Apple!  We're counting down your top 10 most requested videos of the day, and later on Reese Witherspoon will be stopping by to tell us about her new movie _Legally Blonde 2_.  But we've got some breaking news for you first!"  Warren said.

"Oh my gosh, TRL viewers, have we got like the biggest surprise for you!!!  This is like the best thing ever!!!" Harmony chirped into her microphone.

"That's right kids!  We have for you today a super duper extra fabulous world premiere video, exclusively from our favorite new rockers, Vampires in Love!!!"  Warren exclaimed.

"And ladies, you know how good Spikey looked in that last video," Harmony said, fanning herself with her hand.  "I've seen this video and let me tell you… wow…  I'm speechless!"

"Harm, is that even possible for you?!" Warren joked.

"You're just jealous of Spikey, Warren!  They are so hot!  Am I right girls and yeah I know a few of you guys are thinking the same thing!"  Harmony bantered, turning and engaging the audience as any good VJ was required to do.   The crowd started to shriek and cheer wildly, obviously very taken by the band.

Warren assumed a rather serious face and looked at Harmony. "Yes Harmony, I really am so jealous.  Can you blame me?  Spike gets to play alongside those superfine hotties Xander, Wes, and Riley," he deadpanned.

"Warren!" Harmony giggled, playfully smacking him in the arm.  She put up a hand starting the countdown.  "Anyways!  Here you go guys.  Check it out, coming at you in 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1.  It's the new song by Vampires in Love.  This is 'Bitten by Love!'  Woooohoooo!!!!"

Meanwhile… 

Somewhere across the country, well not just somewhere but Sunnydale, CA to be precise, Buffy Summers made a face and said, "Ugh, Dawn!  Will you turn that crap off?  It's just another boy-band trying to be as good as *NSYNC," she paused and sighed dreamily (hey a girl's got to have her vices), "– which will never happen anyways.  And get out, we've got to rehearse!"

"Buffy!  Hey!"  Dawn yelled, clamoring for the remote and snatching it from her older sister's grasp.  "Do you realize you just turned off Vampires in Love?" she shrieked, snapping the TV back on.

"Vampires in who?"

"Shhhh!!!" Dawn said while flailing her arms wildly at Buffy.  "After the video!" she finished, turning and once more becoming transfixed by the TV.

Buffy stared the screen, which featured four cute guys walking along a city street, obviously depressed about love or something.  _Eh… interesting I guess, _she thought as the camera panned upwards to catch the lead singer's startling blue eyes and white blonde hair as he crooned a sad melody.

_"I'm bitten by love_

_Tragic as it seems_

_You're stuck in my head_

_I can't force you to leave_

_I'm bitten by love_

_Buried by heartaches and screams_

_I'm bitten by love_

_Do you know what I mean?"_

"I'm bitten by love, and it's killing me…" sang Spike Edwards, lead singer of Vampires in Love, worming his way into the every girl's heart across the world.  He cast one last hollow yet soulful glance eat the camera before the video faded to black.

"Oh my God!  Aren't they the best?!" Dawn exclaimed, falling backwards on the sofa with her hands to her heart. 

"Why were they dressed like freaks?" Buffy mused, noticing the band's costumes for the first time.

"Freaks?  Whatever, I think it's very original.  Besides, it's their thing, Spike's a vampire, Riley's a soldier, Xander's a pirate and sometimes he's 007, and Wesley always wears a suit – kind of like the Beatles, or a really hot librarian.  And he's Spike's little brother."

Buffy raised a disbelieving eyebrow.  "Ok, Village People much?"

"No!  They're not meaningless disco-pop.  Their lyrics have meaning and soul and they really rock!  Plus I doubt they're gay.  Spike is dating Drusilla Rayne, the soap opera star from 'The Young and the Hopeless.'  And I think Xander dated Cordelia Chase, last year's Miss America or something a while back.  She dumped him and totally broke his heart, how could she be that stupid to dump Xander Harris?  I don't know about Wesley, but I think Riley's engaged to some girl named Sam from his hometown in Iowa.  They're high school sweethearts, isn't that the cutest thing ever?!" Dawn spilled out in one breath.

Buffy shot Dawn a "you're a weird little sister" look, quipping "Yeah… too much information."

"What?!  I heard about them last year when they were just struggling to make it.  Just like you guys!  I have a wide variety of musical tastes like Matthew Good Band, they're not even on MTV!  They're on Much Music in Canada – well before they broke up.  I don't just listen to what MTV tells me to do.  Oh shhhh, shhhh be quiet!  Commercial's over!"

"Yeah, that's nice.  Now get out, the girls are coming over to practice in a few minutes!  Go bother someone else."

"But Buffy –"

Buffy folded her arms across her chest and struck an older sister pose once more, "Or you can stay and help set up if you want.  Carrying the drums in, hooking up really loud amps, really heavy amps…" Buffy interrupted her sister's whining.

Dawn shot up out of her chair, listening to the silence, "Huh?  Did you hear that?  I did!  Is that Mom calling, yeah I'd better go see what she needs!"  Dawn said, scampering out of the room.

Buffy sighed, "Sisters!"  She turned her attention back to the TV where Harmony and Warren were gushing over the Vamps' upcoming tour.  "They're not that good!  Who am I kidding, they are that good.  How the hell are the Scoobies ever going to get recognition like that?"  Just then the phone rang.

"Hello?  Hey Oz!  How are the Dingoes doing?  You know we're all coming to see you at the Bronze this Saturday.  Mmm-hmmm.  Wait, the Troika's sick, so what are you guys going to do?"  She listened for a moment before continuing.  "Oh wow that's awesome, sure we can totally fill in for them!  Let me just run it by the guys, well minus Willow because I figure she already knows.  Mmm-hmm, that's fine – we can meet tomorrow to discuss the details.  Excellent.  Thank you guys so much!  See you later, bye!"

_Finally, things are starting to look up!_ Buffy thought to herself as she sat on the edge of the sofa. _Hey, hey we're the Scoobies!  And we're coming to take over!_  Buffy smiled, watching at a commercial for Vampires in Love's latest album.  _Today Sunnydale, tomorrow the world!_

**A/N:** Hi, it's me again!  Duh.  Big surprise.  *Hands you a cookie for reading this far.* Thanks for stopping by, y'all come back now, ya hear?!  Okay, one last thing – I'm having trouble deciding who I should hook Willow up with.  I loved her and Tara as a couple, but I dug her and Oz as a couple too.  Sigh… decisions decisions.  Any thoughts?  If not, that's ok too.  *waves g'bye!*

Oh and a cookie for anyone who can figure out why I named the band Vampires in Love.  Any guesses?


	2. Making the Band

**A/N: **Hi everyone!  Thanks to **quitesirius**,** SpikeBuffyTryst**, **Chofita**,** VaRuka**,** Trinity Cloud**, **lolagirl**,** Once More With Feeling**, **LuckyStarz**,**In Silent Lucidity, **Lynsey**, **Inspired**, ****c[k]m, **Ultrawoman**, **spikeandangel4eva**, **j26 lttl angel**, ****she, **The Bloody**, ****BrownEyes, ****SpIkEs AnGeL, **Jessyca**, and **Dee** for your reviews and suggestions!  I really appreciate it!  *hands all of you Spike-shaped cookies.*  (Btw, scroll down to the end see the answer to my question from the last chapter!)**

Well here's Chapter 2 and I'm hoping it's okay?!  I'm biting my nails nervously hoping you'll like it (or at least be mildly amused)!  Just a warning but there won't be any Spuffy interaction for probably another 5 chapters, but I promise it'll be well worth the wait.  Sorry this took so long, but I was on vacation -- I was in France for a week actually so I didn't have internet access.  Plus school just started up again this week, sigh a student's work is never done.  Thank you all for being so patient, I appreciate your stopping by and reading this!  I'll try to update sooner next time.  *ice cream and life sized Spike's for all (per previous requests, hehe)*  (Thanks for the beta-ing, **Mars**!)

**Summary:** Just an addendum from the summary posted in Chapter 1.  I think most of you had it figured out, but just in case – this is a Fantasy type fic.  Everyone's human.  No vamps, no Slayers, no Watchers, no witches, etcetera.  But still the same lovable ol' BTVS/Angel characters! :)

**Chapter 2 – Making the Band**

"Right this way, _messieurs_.  We have our premiere table ready for you in by _le Jardin des Fleurs Exotiques_, right next to our enchanting replica of the _Fontaine de la Concorde_!" the very snooty and impeccably dressed owner of Chez Francois said as he escorted Spike Edwards, Wes Edwards, Xander Harris, and Riley Finn to their table for lunch.

Riley leaned over and whispered to his Vampires in Love bandmates, "Guys, this is really nice, but does anyone know what the hell he's saying?"

Xander replied, "We're in a French restaurant, so I'm going out on a limb here, but my guess is he's saying something -- oh I don't know, French?"

Riley rolled his eyes at Xander's ill-fated joke and said, "Thanks, I didn't quite get that."

"He said we're going to be sitting in the Garden of Exotic Flowers next to a replica of the Fountain in Place de la Concorde in Paris.  You two had better brush up on your French before we plan a European tour!" Wesley supplied, grinning at the two. 

The proprietor of Chez Francois turned and motioned the four to their table.  "Please have a seat, gentlemen.  As you already know I am Francois and may I say 'Welcome to Chez Francois!'  We are honored you have chosen to join us _pour dejeuner.  Your server will be joining you in a moment.  But please feel free to let me know if you need anything, we are here to make your dining experience as wonderful as possible.  _Bon appetit_!"_

"I'm guessing _pour dejeuner_ probably means 'for lunch?'" Riley added after the owner of Chez Francois walked away.

"Well aren't we smart, Captain Cardboard!" Spike said, clapping his hands with mock amazement.

Riley shot him a dirty look and said, "Shut up, Spike!"

"Hey, did you guys just hear that?" Xander said.

"Hear what?" Riley and Spike said at once.

"He called us gentlemen!  Us -- gentlemen!  Can you believe that?" Xander said in amazement.

"I know!  Four months ago we wouldn't have even been allowed to wash the dishes here," Wes agreed.

"Pffft, are you kidding?  I don't even think they'd have let us look through their soddin' trash bin!" Spike replied sitting back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head.  He paused to look around before he said, "This place is rather posh, isn't it?  I wonder if they got any onion blossoms.  Those things are bloody fantastic, all doughy and fried!"

The boys sat back admiring the decadent ambiance created by the richly decorated red tablecloth, the gold-rimmed plates and matching flatware, the crystal wine goblets, the brilliant flora of the garden, and the string quartet in the corner adding a hint of Vivaldi to the background.  Star treatment everywhere, international recognition, uncountable wealth, in short the life of a rock star -- this is what life at the top meant, and the Vampires were finally getting their taste of it, quite literally.

A server came by, quickly filling up their glasses with mineral water and leaving a basket of freshly baked rolls on the table.  The foursome picked up their menus and started to examine the specials _du jour_.  It turned out that dining was quite a serious affair to the French.  Even a simple meal such as lunch could consist of several courses including salads, soups, cheeses, breads, the main course, and of course the essential French wines and desserts.

"Hey Riley, the menu's in French too.  Think you can handle it?" Xander asked with mock concern.

Riley rolled his eyes in reply.  "Thanks, Xander.  But I think I got it."

"Ustedes son locos!  Es solamente un idioma extranjero, no es la ciencia del cohete!" Wesley said to them in Spanish, showing off his flair for all things bookish.

"I think that's enough with the college-talk for now, Wes.  I'll have to show you up with my knowledge of Spanglish later on," Xander joked once more.

"Hey now, where's the waitress?  I'm feelin' a bit peckish!" Spike interjected, rubbing his stomach absentmindedly.

Just then their server appeared, eyes widening as she realized whom she'd be waiting on.  Obviously she'd heard of them.  She smoothed her apron with one hand, and then nervously tucked away a strand of hair behind her ear.  Quickly regaining her composure she said, "Hi!  My name is Amy, and I'll be your server today.  Our specials today are canard a l'orange, pastilla au canard, and poached salmon with potatoes.  For dessert I'd highly recommend you try the red fruit soup with vanilla custard, the chocolate tarte with coffee sauce, or our famous creme brulee.  Can I start you off with something to drink as well?"

"Amy, luv, do you think you could recommend a good wine for me and my buddies Xander and Riley?  Bite-sized over there'll take a Coke," Spike said in the dutiful role of an older brother as he pointed to Wesley.

"I'd like to suggest a 1998 Bordeaux.  How does that sound?" Amy replied.

"I don't know.  How does it sound?  I've never actually heard wine talk.  I've heard wine make people talk, but never the wine itself," Xander quipped, giving her a boyish grin.

Amy laughed.  Between Spike's use of the word "luv" and Xander's smile, she was having a hard time keeping herself from jumping up and down and screaming like a little girl.  She reminded herself to thank Marco later on for calling in sick, otherwise she'd have been enjoying a very boring day off.  She quickly jotted down their lunch orders and went on her way.  Two servers came out a few moments later with a course of salads, soups, and cheeses.

"My God!  Would you look at this food?  This is enough to feed an army of werewolves," Xander surmised.

"Forget the food, did you seen who else was here when we walked in?  I could've sworn I saw Jennifer Aniston and What's-his-name in the corner, at the table next to Ozzy and his kids!" Riley exclaimed.

"Hey look over there, isn't that Gwenyth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz walking in?" Xander said, trying to be discreet.

All of a sudden Wes piped up, "Brad Pitt?"  Xander and Riley turned to look at him, slightly confused.  "What?  You said Jennifer and What's-his-face -- I can only assume you mean her husband, Brad Pitt."

"Oh that Jennifer!  I thought you were talking about Jennifer Lopez, uh I mean, J.Lo or something like that?  Jen and Brad are here, where?" Xander said, craning his neck for a better view.

"Doot, deedly doot, deedly deedly doot doot doot!"  Their stargazing was interrupted by the noise of a cell phone.  All four reached for their phones, trying to decipher whose was ringing insatiably.  Spike came out the winner.  It was none other than the essence of his existence, the lovely, temperamental, and slightly psychotic Drusilla Rayne.  He excused himself from the table and headed for a more private corner of the restaurant to take the call.

"Hello?  Drusilla!  How are you pet?" Spike exclaimed.

"I am… what am I, Spike?  Perhaps… perhaps I am, effulgent?   Yes?  Yes!  That is it!  I am effulgent," Drusilla said in her characteristically elusive speech.  Spike had long ago become accustomed to her roundabout way of talking and actually found it rather charming.

"Splendid!  Now tell me, to what do I owe the honor of this call?  Shouldn't you be in front a camera right about now?"

"I'm taking a break.  They're filming someone else right now, someone rather ghastly, hideous even," she pouted.  "But anyways, Mummy has splendid surprise for Daddy!"

"Oh, a surprise?  What is it then, luv?" Spike asked.

"No, no, no!  Naughty boy!  I can't tell you just yet.  First you have to tell me how much you miss me, my dark prince," Drusilla said.  All of a sudden Spike heard giggling and another voice.  He heard Drusilla said, "Get off me!  You're absolutely impossible, I'm on the phone!"

"Of course I miss you, Dru," Spike said a little on his guard, very curious as to what was making Dru giggle like that in New York City.  "What was so funny just now, pet?"

"Hmm, that?  That was just Ms. Edith.  She's being wicked and naughty," Drusilla explained.

"Your agent is being naughty?" Spike asked, very confused.

"Not that Ms. Edith, the other one!  My doggie!  Silly, silly bad dog!" She replied, eager to change topics.  

"But I could have sworn I heard another voice in your --" Spike began.

Drusilla cut him off, "So you do miss me then?  Good.  I'm coming to LA this weekend, and I'll be able to see your next show!"

"Really?  That's bloody fantastic!  I can't wait to see you, pet.  If you're lucky I might just shag you silly," Spike said, immediately lighting up at the prospect of seeing Drusilla.  He listened a few minutes more, getting all the details from him girlfriend. "Uh-huh.  Okay, got it.  I'll see you this weekend, luv.  Okay, mmm-hmm.  I love you, too.  Bye!"

Dru was coming to see him this weekend!  He was on a high as he walked back to his table and took his seat.  Spike returned in time to hear Riley say, "No way, Ben Affleck was way better off with Gwenyth than he is with J.Lo!"

"I'd have to disagree, Riley.  Jennifer Lopez is much hotter than Gwenyth, she sings, she dances, she acts, plus she's got her own clothing line and fragrance collection.  And she's funny; she worked with Jim Carrey on 'In Living Color.'  Did Gwenyth ever do a comedy show?" Xander disagreed.

"Okaaaaayyyy.  I think someone's been watching a little too much 'Entertainment Tonight!'" Wesley joked.

"I have not!  I'm just saying that … hey look, is that Will Smith and Jada?" Xander said, craning his neck once again.

"Xander!  Sit down before you hurt yourself, Droopy Boy!" Spike said, grabbing his friend's arm and dragging him down into his seat.  "And what's with you all anyways?  Can you stop being all googly-eyed over those bleedin' movie stars for a second?  It's pathetic!

Wesley spoke up, "As I recall Spike, wasn't it just last week you yelled at the mailman because your copy of _Soap Opera Digest_ was a day late?  You could've just gone online to see what was happening on 'Passions.'  You've got the website listed in your Favor--"

Spike quickly clapped a hand over his brother's mouth, hastily saying, "Ha!  Yeah, bloody good joke, Wes!  You got me!  You know I don't watch that soddin' excuse for television."

Riley turned to Xander and said, "You know, Xan, I just don't get it anyways.  Julian should never have gotten Teresa pregnant.  Why would Teresa every sleep with him in the first place?  How stupid a storyline is that?"

"Are you daft, man?!  That wasn't the story at all!  They were both _drunk_!  Julian was the great poofter who got Teresa hammered, married her, and then shagged her which was worse since she was engaged to Julian's son Ethan when…" Spike trailed off, embarrassed at being caught red-handed by his little outburst as his bandmates burst out laughing.

"Oh Ethan!" Wesley said to Xander, very melodramatically.

"Oh Teresa!" Xander replied, equally melodramatic, as they fell into a mock soap opera hug.  Spike burst out laughing and threw a roll at them.

"Shut up you, wankers!  Anyways, I've got news!  Drusilla's coming to LA this weekend and she's going to be at our show," Spike said.

"Drusilla?" Xander said, uneasily.  She may have been Spike's girlfriend, but she was not an easy creature to get along with.  

"Hey that's great!  Sam said she might be in town this weekend, they can sit together at the show," Riley said, trying to be helpful.

"Drusilla's coming to the show, is that right?  Great, great, that's just splendid!  Well that is if she actually makes it this time.  What was her excuse last time?  Oh that's right, her dog got sick again.  And what was it before then?  Her car broke down so she couldn't get to JFK and catch her flight.  I can't wait for her to get here.  We'll have such a marvelous time," Wesley commented rather dryly.  It was no secret that Wes wasn't as fond of Dru as Spike thought everyone should be.  Drusilla didn't have a reputation for being a very agreeable or very kind person for that matter, especially when she and Wesley were near each other.

"Wesley," Spike warned.

"What?  I said I can't wait to see Ms. Bloody Sunshine and Dead Roses!"

"Wesley Wyndham-Pryce Edwards, you're being nice to her this time or else.  No more throwing water on her or holding crosses and shouting 'Back!  Creature of the night!'  She's not a bloody vampire, she's my girlfriend!  Understood?" Spike said, pointing a threatening finger at his brother.

"Yeah sure, whatever you say big brother." Wesley said, as their main courses arrived.

"Wahoo, Dru's coming.  Great news.  We're all happy for you, Spike!" Xander said, "Now I don't know you guys, but this food is getting cold and I'm getting -- what's that word -- um, peckish.  Yeah, peckish.  Now shut up and eat!"

"Best idea you've had all day, Xan!" Spike agreed.

"Hey guys, my midterms aren't for another week, can't I have just one glass of --" Wesley began.

"No!" came the simultaneous response from all his bandmates.  The 4 friends laughed and started to eat.  They'd finally made it to the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous stage.  Life was good, the food was great, and Xander, Wes, Riley, and Spike were on top of the world.

**A/N:** Hey all, reached the end I see?  Yay!  Thanks!  Finally, in response to why I named the band Vampires in Love: I was just wondering if anyone else had tastes for obscure music.  **Inspired **and** Chofita and ****SpikeBuffyTryst guessed right; it is because of a song called "Vampires in Love" by the Marvelous 3.  They also sang "Freak of the Week" a few years back, but split up a year or two ago.  And check out the fan video set to "Vampires in Love" if you can find it on the web, I don't know who made it, but it's so cute!  But thanks to everyone else who ventured a guess!  *more Spike-shaped cookies for all* :)**

And thanks for everyone's opinions on who I should pair Willow with.  You'll see in the next chapter, and I'm sure it'll make everyone very happy! :D


	3. Setting the Stage

**A/N:** Of course I was evil and left you all hanging for weeks before I updated.  The problem is that I had this story written out through like chapter 10 or so earlier this summer.  And then I decided I needed to stick Chapter 2 in there to make it flow better.  So now I was stuck on how to revise Chapter 3, which was Chapter 2 before.  Confusing?  Yes.  Relevant?  Not particularly.  But here you are, my apologies for leaving you neglected for so long, gentle readers.  Thank you your name here for your reviews and thanks to those who are still reading.  Enjoy!  *Spike cookies for all!*

**Chapter 3: Setting the Stage**

"Are you sure they'll be able to find us?" Daniel "Oz" Osborne asked nervously.  He looked over at his bandmate Devon Winters, lead singer of the hottest local band in Sunnydale, the Dingoes Ate My Baby.  It was Tuesday morning and the two were seated in what could also be called the hippest daytime establishment in Sunnydale -- the Espresso Pump coffeehouse.

Devon sat rather precariously with his chair tipped on its back 2 legs, "window-shopping" as he liked to call it, watching members of the female persuasion float by him.  "Dude, you do realize we're sitting like 3 feet from the door?" Devon said, laughing at his overly anxious friend.  The Dingoes had been doing local shows in California for the past few months, so chances for Oz to see his girlfriend Willow Rosenberg were few and far between.

Oz sat tapping his fingers impatiently, glancing at the door every few seconds.  They'd gotten into town late last night and Oz could barely contain his excitement at seeing Willow.  He'd called her and Buffy yesterday to ask if they could fill in for the Troika when the Dingoes played at what could be called the hippest nighttime establishment in Sunnydale, or perhaps the only nighttime establishment at all -- the Bronze.

"Do -- do you think she'll like it?" Oz asked for the fifth time that day, pointing to his hair.  Notorious for dying his hair every color under the sun, it'd been quite a while since Oz was last seen with his natural red color.  Last time Willow saw him he'd been sporting an electric blue dye job, but this time he'd opted for something a little more basic and gone with jet black.  Oddly enough, it suited the fair skinned rocker and made him appear even edgier than before.

"It's hair.  What's not to like?" Devon smiled, amused by Oz's anxiety.

"Well at least it looks better than yours," Oz shot back.

Devon sat straight up in his chair, running a hand through his own light brown locks.  "What do you mean it looks better than mine?  I look good.  Didn't you see those girls over there checking me out?" he said, his vanity shining through.

Oz shrugged, dismissing his friend's comment with a simple, "Whatever."  He grinned inwardly, loving the idea of making Devon squirm.  Devon took off for the bathroom to find a mirror.  Oz looked up to see Buffy and Willow entering the Espresso Pump.  "They're here," he called after his friend as he got up to embrace his girlfriend.

"Hey," Buffy said, pulling up a chair.  "Sorry about the lateness, I'm kind of getting the hang of this driving thing."

"She drove all by herself, and didn't hit any stop signs!  But she almost ran over an old lady, oh and a puppy, and she almost hit a mailbox, and ... and I'm going to stop talking now, because hey there were no casualties!  Nope, Buffy's like super-safety girl." Willow said, stopping in the middle of her ramble as Buffy shot her a look.

"Thanks for the encouragement, Wills." Buffy said with a wry smile tugging at her lips.

"So Buffy, driving, huh?  Scary." Oz commented.  He pulled up a chair for Willow next to his.

"Yup, I'm finally licensed and everything.  Only took me like 4 years.  Who knows, maybe I might even own a car one day, like when I'm 50." Buffy joked.

"Hey call me next time you're out driving, so I know to stay off the roads!" Devon said, joining the group.

"Hey!  Very funny, Devon.  It's good to see you, too." Buffy got up to give him a hug.  She was glad to see some of her old friends again.  It'd been a quite some time since she'd seen the Dingoes and since they'd jammed with the Scoobies.  She and Devon reminisced as they walked off to get coffee, letting Oz and Willow have a few minutes to get reacquainted.

After moving to Sunnydale from the ultra chic Los Angeles at the beginning of her sophomore year of high school, Buffy found that most of the activities she'd enjoyed at her old school like cheerleading, math team, and student government just were not cutting it for her here at Sunnydale High.  She realized that her passion was music and found her niche playing violin in the school orchestra.  Feeling the steel strings beneath her fingers and the cool yet brisk movement of the bow helped her forget why she'd had to leave all her friends and the town where she grew up after her parent's messy divorce.  She'd found a friend in a quiet cellist by the name of Willow and the two were inseparable from that day on.  After playing violin in the orchestra for a year, she turned to something a little more modern and so began her love affair with the guitar.

In a high school full of cheerleaders, class presidents, jocks, and band geeks, there had been very few real rockers.  Most people were listening to rap, pop, or even worse techno-pop.  Willow had introduced her to Bronze and Buffy started to get involved with the local music scene.  She'd met the Dingoes one day and immediately bonded with Oz.  Buffy was lucky to have met him when she did since she was determined on buying an electric guitar that week.  Oz gave her some well-needed advice and told her to start off with something far easier, the mellow acoustic guitar.  He helped her along with her lessons and taught her everything she'd ever wanted to know about rock music.  Buffy brought Willow along to a Dingoes concert one night, and Willow was immediately sold on learning to play bass when she saw Oz's fingers flying across the strings like magic, and so began Willow's silent love affair, or perhaps obsession, with Oz.

Buffy got to know Devon along with Owen Thurman and Charles Gunn through Oz.  Gunn and Willow had been friends since the 8th grade, when he'd rescued Willow and her books from the wrath of a puddle -- a puddle Willow had been steered towards by a number of so-called popular kids during lunch one day.  Willow had attended school with the other two members of the Dingoes ever since elementary school but finally got the chance to know them as well.  The world of rock music enticed Buffy and Willow to try to form their own band, but they knew a lead guitar and a bass just wasn't enough.  The girls met their friend and Scoobies' drummer Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins before senior year, and with help from the Dingoes, the girls' had a foundation for a band.

Oz, Buffy, Willow, and Anya decided to attend UC Sunnydale, while the other members of the Dingoes took off for other parts of California.  Anya's love of all things concerning money led her to a combined Finance and MBA program, all the while trying to find the right man, the right job, and the most cost-effective set of drums for their band.  Oz majored in Computer Science while minoring in Music Theory, because while his parents liked his music, his father was adamant that no child of his was going to escape college without a science degree.  Willow found her place as an Electrical Engineering major, and became interested in the Wiccan religion through her roommate Tara Maclay and the two started a campus Wicca group.  Buffy's extra-curricular interests actually coincided with her field of study -- Anthropology and History, with a focus on ancient civilizations and weaponry.  She'd been a disciple of the martial arts since she was a child, and she felt that the human body was perhaps the greatest weapon of all.  She found her way into a Kung Fu class and there she met Faith Giovanni.

Anya, Buffy, and Willow kept rehearsing and playing small local shows, but knew they weren't complete yet.  The rest of the members of Buffy and Willow's band were right under their noses.  Tara was a Music major, studying classical piano and Faith, well Faith was never quite sure what she was studying one semester to the next, but she played a wicked rendition of "Purple Haze" and "When I Come Around" on the guitar.  Things fell into place quickly after that when Faith and Tara were invited to join the band.  The girls adopted the name "the Scoobies" soon after, when Oz likened the camaraderie in the group to that of the Scooby Gang from the old "Scooby-Doo" cartoons of the 1980s.

While things were starting to move with the band, Willow and Oz began to have some special chemistry of their own.  The two had grown closer during college, and one night while studying, during one of those perfect movie moments set to U2's "Hold Me, Thrill Me" they looked into each other eyes and something sparked.  The world stopped or maybe it spun madly on it's axis, but it whatever it was, while Bono sang "hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me" the two leaned in for a kiss and the rest was history.

"Look, mocha-y goodness for all," Buffy said as she and Devon returned with coffee for the four of them.

"Yay!  Coffee!  She got coffee!  I like coffee!  I drink coffee!" she paused to take a breath and continued.  "Ok, sorry for the bounciness, just kind of having a major happy right now," Willow beamed.

"It's ok, Wills.  Bounciness is definitely allowed considering how long you've had to play Penelope.  Oh but don't worry Oz, no suitors have come around!" Buffy laughed, handing her friend a cup.

"Never thought I'd hear the day when my love life was compared to the _The Odyssey_," Oz replied.

"That's Buffy, all smart with the literature references lately.  She even decided to pick up some Steinbeck lately.  And that's no party, mister," Willow said.

"I remember.  I think I read the back cover of one of his book's for a book report in English," Oz reminisced.

"Academic miscreant!  Wait, I think I like that.  Almost as much as I love your hair!  Did I mention I liked your hair before, because I really do," Willow replied, giving Oz a kiss on the cheek.

Buffy smiled, looking fondly at her friends.  She turned to Devon and asked, "So what have you guys been up to for the past month?  How's the tour been going?

"It's been so hectic, running around like crazy.  We did a bunch of shows in Cali, couple in Nevada, oh, got to play in a club in Vegas once -- a small club, but still a gig in Vegas.  And we did about 5 shows up in Canada," Devon began.

"I think we're getting ready to hit up the East Coast soon and do some major promoting," Oz continued.  The Dingoes had released their first album, _Monsters Ate My High School_, on an indie label, something that had been a long time coming.

"Oooh, pretty soon you could be on TRL or performing at the Grammy's.  All those fans screaming, wouldn't that be neat?  And you could get a cool place in New York.  And I'd come visit you, and when people would ask where I was going I'd say on 'just into the City' and people would ask 'what city?' and I could say 'New York, to visit my rock star boyfriend,'" Willow said, dreamily.  The coffee and sugar obviously had their desired effect on her.

"Or it could even be me traveling to New York, visiting my rock star girlfriend once you make it big," Oz said, putting an arm around Willow and giving her an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, that's a big 'if' we're talking about, Oz.  Why do you think Buffy's been reading so much?  There's little else to do.  I'm buried in paperwork with my master's thesis and Buffy's stuck in limbo at her job," Willow replied.

"Oh Wills, I forgot to mention, so last night my mom tried to convince me to take my GRE's and apply to grad school like you.  Apparently she's got this thing about me getting a PhD and being a curator of a museum like she is.  Like that'll ever happen!  But no, wait, I'm not going to be all negative-Buffy here.  I mean hey, we're playing with you guys on Saturday.  So that's good news," Buffy said.

"I think the last show we did was at the Sunnydale Retirement Home and that was volunteer work for their Spring Carnival.  All we've been doing in practicing and getting no where of course," Willow added.

"Come on guys, it can't be so bad.  We're definitely grateful you'll be playing with us on Saturday!  I think we'd better start ironing out the details," Oz said, pulling out some papers from his backpack.

"But wait, where are the rest of the girls.  Are they joining us later?" Devon asked.

"Nope, not now.  Tara wasn't feeling well so she had to stay home.  Stomachache.  Anya's at work counting out her money, and Faith's at the gym teaching an extra Kung Fu class since one of the trainers called in sick.  So that means you're stuck with us," Buffy replied.

"What about Owen and Gunn?  Why aren't they here?" Willow asked, referring to the two other members of the Dingoes Ate My Baby.

"They're driving down on their own.  Last show we had was at 14 Below in LA so Owen met up with a few of his friends and decided to stay over for another day.  Gunn is visiting Kendra and well," he paused to look at his watch, "right now I'm guessing she's making wedding plans.  They ought to be down by tonight or tomorrow, so we'll be cool in time for the show," Oz informed them.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second!" Buffy said.

"Gunn and Kendra!  When did this happen?!" Willow said, following Buffy.

"Well he's been planning it for like a month or so, I think." Devon said.

"Awww!" Buffy and Willow chorused.  Kendra had been one of Buffy's and Willow's friends from college.  Kendra had moved to LA to attend graduate school at UCLA after finishing up at UC Sunnydale.  One semester in college, the Dingoes played on the UC Sunnydale campus and the girls naturally brought some of their friends along and Kendra and Gunn hit it off instantly.

"I can't wait for Gunn to get here so we can bug him for details!" Buffy said.

"But first, we've got to figure out the plans for Saturday," Willow reminded them.  When Willow put on her resolve face, that was it.  No one was allowed to get side-tracked until a project or meeting was done.

"Here's the plan, we're supposed to go on at 8:30 pm, so that means doors will open at 7:00 pm.  You guys get the 7:30 to 8:15 slot as an opening set," Oz began.

"So that means something like 6 or 7 songs?  That sounds manageable," Willow mused, jotting down some notes.

"I think we've got enough material for a good set at the Bronze.  Do you think we could throw in that new song we were working on?" Buffy asked, turning to Willow.

"I think so, but we're going to have to do some minor tweaking and major practicing to get that one show-ready.  We'll have to ask Faith and Tara since they're singing with you," Willow replied.

"How about set up time?" Buffy asked.

"Okay, so for this gig we're supposed to be here around 4:00 pm, to set up, run through a last minute rehearsal, and do a sound and lighting check.  Since you guys are joining us, how about we move it up to 3:00 pm?" Devon suggested.

"That sounds good, but would it be possible for Old Man Snyder to let us into the Bronze on Friday so we can get a feel for what's going on?  Last time we played at the Bronze was for that 'Battle of the Bands' concert last year.  I still can't believe the record exec from RCA picked a high school band over us.  We were so much better!" Buffy said.

"I know, those losers hadn't even hit puberty yet!  But you guys know as well as we do how hard it is to make it into the business," Devon said.

"I know, I know," Buffy said.  "But sometimes I just get so frustrated.  I mean we've been practicing so long and it feels like --"

"Like we're going nowhere fast," Willow finished.

"Exactly," Buffy said in agreement.

"All right, so 3:00 pm at the Bronze on Saturday.  Sounds good.  I'll talk to Snyder and twist his arm a little to get you guys in there for a few hours on Friday," Oz said.

"Thanks, Oz!  Isn't he the bestest boyfriend ever?" Willow said, giving Oz a hug.

"No competition here," Buffy said, pointing to Devon.

"Hey!  That's not funny Buffy.  We went out for like 2 days, remember?"

"Yeah I remember, 2 of the longest days of my entire life.  What can I say, you're just too much of a player for me, Dev," Buffy giggled.

Devon rolled his eyes and smiled at his friend.  "Anyways, so set up is out of the way.  What else?" Devon said.

"Is there anything special we're going to need besides our instruments and our amps?" Buffy  asked.

"Hold on, Anya needs to bring her kit," Willow commented.  "If we end at 8:15 and you guys start at 8:30, is that enough time to get her drum set off stage?"

"That won't be a big deal.  We worked it out with the Troika so that in small venues we set the kits up on platforms with wheels, all by ourselves of course seeing as we have a lack of roadies.  We keep Gunn's set backstage while the Troika plays, and then just wheel their kit back and ours forward when we're ready for our set," Oz supplied.

"Just make sure to lock the wheels, runaways drums sets are not fun to chase!" Devon laughed.

"And Tara's piano?  Oh wait, the Bronze has a piano right?  So we're set.  We've just got to run it by Tara to make sure she won't mind, and that the piano there is in tune," Buffy finished.

"Faith, you, and I need to bring our amps and guitars of course.  Anya needs her kit.  Tara probably is going to use the piano at the Bronze or a keyboard if worst comes to worst.  Lighting is taken care of, sound is done, looks like most of the logistics are done," Willow said as she scribbled a few more notes on her list.

"Almost, there's still a little paperwork to do so you guys will actually get paid by our promoters," Oz said handing some papers across the table to Buffy.

"Ok, what you guys need to do is go ahead and read that over, and all of you have to sign it.  Plus you've got to get your manager to sign it as well.  Is your mom still taking care of some of that stuff?" Devon asked.

"Yeah, she does what she can," Buffy answered.  "But one of her assistants at the museum, Robin, has been a really big help.  He's been taking care of a lot of the management type issues lately."

"And the fee itself?" Willow said.

"Snyder and our promoters set the Troika's billing at $500 a show, so I'm assuming that's what you'll get," Devon said.

"Wow, pretty nice.  I just wanted to make sure I had a ballpark idea in case I have to haggle with that little man later.  He's such a pain in the ass, especially when he's drunk and wants to 'hang' with us 'young kids!'" Buffy said, giggling at thoughts of the owner of the Bronze.

Willow clapped her hands with glee.  "Oh this is totally gonna rock!  Way better than my cousin's bat mitzvah!"

"Willow!  I thought we all agreed never to mention that again." Buffy joked, blushing slightly at the very embarrassing memory of that gig.

"Oh!" Willow clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes growing wide.  "I didn't just jinx us, did I?"

"No, no!  Don't worry, hon.   You guys are fine.  I have my good luck charm, well my other good luck charm besides you Wills," Oz said.  He put a hand in his pocket and took out his lucky pick from a Ghost of the Robot show they had attended while in high school.  "You're totally jinx free," he said as he hugged her again.

"It's getting late.  Do you guys want some lunch?  The Espresso Pump has some pretty good subs and pizza," Willow said, handing everyone a menu.

"Sounds good," Devon said.

Buffy sat back to think for a moment while Oz, Devon, and Willow tried to decide what to get for lunch.  She and the girls had been through so much, they'd even finished college and gotten real degrees, but most bands would have and should have made it by now.  Their friends were getting married or getting jobs or just doing something.  She was a 23-year-old going nowhere fast.  The Scoobies couldn't put their lives on hold forever, hoping that someday they'd get recognized.  She and Willow had talked about it the night before; either something happen soon or the Scoobies were going to have to hang up their instruments.  Of course they could play on the side, while working, while having families, while doing other things, but it just wouldn't be the same.  They'd worked so hard, but they knew the struggles of the music industry.  Yet, if just one person -- just one -- thought they were good enough to make it, that's all it would take.

**A/N:** I'm back.  So what'd ya think?  Go review if you'd like.  So did you see who I put Willow with?  I think it worked okay.  But I wasn't a big "Buffy" watcher (haha get it I said "watcher") until S5 so I didn't see the whole Willow/Oz dynamic while it was fresh, but in reruns instead.   Oh and one other thing, where does everyone go for their music news and info?  I'm getting kind of tired referring to TRL all the time.  Thanks!


	4. Showtime

**A/N:** Thanks again for the reviews!  Here's chapter four.  For those of who were interested, I finally made a website as well (took me long enough!), so go ahead and check it out -- the address is listed in my profile (since fanfiction.net is having a strange time encoding URL's that are located in the body of the text, in other words it won't let me do it).  Enjoy!!!

Chapter 4: Showtime 

Spike was at the bottom of the world.  He wanted to die.  Or cry.  Or sleep.  Or something.  Or break stuff.  _Yeah break stuff, that option sounds good_...

Andrew was checking his watch as he up and down the hallways, madly searching from room to room.  Fifteen minutes!  Fifteen fucking minutes!  He ran his fingers through his hair, messing up the previously perfectly gelled locks.  He was under an insane amount of pressure, his hair was turning into a mess, and where the hell was Spike?  More importantly, they had ten minutes.  Ten fucking minutes.  _Luke had more time to get out of the Death Star after he blew it up_, thought Andrew.  _The Green Room!  Smart Andrew, real smart, why didn't you check there first? _ He glanced at his watch again.  Fourteen and a half minutes to curtain, and counting.  Fourteen and a half fucking minutes.

Andrew skidded to a stop in front of the Green Room of LA's Grand Hyperion Plaza.  He yanked open the door, murmuring a prayer.  _He'd better be in here!_

A loud crash erupted as a crystal vase sailed neatly over Andrew's head and smashed into the hallway behind him.

"Ah, Spike?" said Andrew, manager of Vampires in Love.

"What?  Can't you see I'm busy?" Spike barked midthrow.  This time a lamp collided with the floor.  Pieces scattered left and right, reminding Spike of how he felt inside at that moment.  "Bollocks!  Bloody hell!  Bloody ... bollocksin' ... soddin' ... bitch ... whore," he said, scrambling for the right words.  His hand grabbed an ashtray, preparing to slam in into the floor.

"SPIKE!  Okay, Spike, give me the ashtray right now, mister!" Andrew shouted, stamping his foot for emphasis.  Spike looked at it, shrugged haplessly and handed it over.  Andrew turned to put it on the soft, while Spike spun around and grabbed a bottle off of a nearby table, tipping his head back and taking a healthy swig of the clear substance inside.

"Good!" Andrew said turning back around.  He surveyed the scene, feeling as if he were going to faint.  There was Spike, slumped in a chair, bottle in hand.  "What are you doing?  Get up right now!  YOU'RE ON STAGE IN TWELVE MINUTES!  TWELVE FUCKING MINUTES, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" he shouted.  He put a hand to his forehead, rubbing his face as he said to himself, "This stress is definitely not good for me.  I should've been an accountant like my mom wanted me to be!"  He looked over at Spike again, "Oh my God!  Spike!  Is that _vodka_ on your breath?  Very cheap vodka?"  His hands flew to his hips as he assumed a very irked posture, and he said in a hushed and pissed tone, "Spike, have you been _drinking?_"

"Wassit to you, Andy?  Imabloodysoddinwanker," he said, his words running together.  He let the bottle slip to the ground as he leaned forward and put his head in his hands, pulling at his hair.  "My life is over!  Better yet, _unlife_.  Without her, I have no life!"

"Her?" Andrew paused as he thought for a moment.  "Drusilla?  Hey!  And don't call me 'Andy!'  I hate that."

Just then Xander entered the room and surveyed the damage.  He immediately recognized the problem.  "Whoa!  Bleach boy, something wrong with Dru again?  Because you know, there's like a billion people just dying to see us in a few minutes."

"Issnofair!  Issnofair!" Spike mumbled.

"Spike, it's going to be okay!" Xander said, kneeling in front of Spike's chair, trying to look up at his face and gauge how drunk Spike really was.  Spike sat straight up.  Judging by his appearance Xander was able to tell his friend was slightly buzzed.  Not a good sign, but a relief nonetheless.  He would still be able to play, if they could only get him out there.  This wasn't going to be easy.  But then again, it never was when it came to Dru.

"She's supposed _to be with me_!" Spike said, emphasizing each syllable.  He got up and started pacing.  "She's supposed to be mine, forever!  Forever, dammit!  Me and Dru, Dru and me.  She's like my 'Nancy'!"

"She's a nancy?  I thought that was some kind of British insult or something," Andrew said.

"Sid and Nancy, you dolt!  She's the Nancy to my Sid Vicious," Spike said.  Andrew stared back in confusion.

"Sid Vicious, big punk rock icon and overall bad ass from the 70s or 80s.  I forget which," Xander supplied.

"But now I'm Sid Wanker!" Spike wailed again, tears starting to form in his eyes.  He turned away from his companions, trying to fix his hair in the mirror in order to make an effort to hide his emasculating emotions.

Xander started to say something, but Andrew jumped in instead.  He sat Spike down in a chair in front of the vanity table in the room, flipping on the lights surrounding the mirror, and handed Spike a tissue.

"Spike.  Hey, Spike it's going to be okay.  Look, you've got a legion of adoring fans out there right now, many of them female, and you look …um.  Well okay, right now you don't look so good, but give Jonathan 30 seconds with you and you'll look fabulous!  C'mon, this is a really big deal.  Don't forget, Wolfram Industries is backing this concert.  If they like what they see, they'll fund your entire tour!  I'm sure Drusilla will make it to the next show, but if you don't get out there right now, there isn't going to be a next show," Andrew finished.

"You don't understand.  She didn't say she wasn't coming.  She..." Spike began, his voice starting to waver.  He jumped up and began to pace once more.  "She, the bitch, she broke up with me. Ripped my bloody heart out, stomped on it, dragged it across the floor, and fed it to wild dogs!" he said, exaggeratedly pantomiming the motions in his words.

"Oh.  Ah..." was all Andrew could think to say.  He looked at his watch.  _Ten_ _minutes_.  He sighed and thought, _Spike is going to kill me with annoyance.  Hey, kind of like that one really bad episode of "X-men" where..._ He snapped back to attention at the sound of Xander's voice.

"You've got to get out there.  Please?  If not for my sake, remember Riley and Wes are out there too.  Drusilla always comes back, remember?  Soap stars are all so melodramatic," Xander said.

"You don't get it!  She said that she didn't want me.  Dru said 'You taste like ashes, Spike.  I have to find my pleasures elsewhere, Spike'," he replied, mimicking her voice.  "This is it.  She doesn't want me, and I have no idea why.  She wouldn't even give me a real bloody reason.  Just said she didn't have time for this anymore.  I was always so good to her, and now this," Spike said quietly.  He stared at his black nail polish, unsure of what else to do.

"Where is Dru going to be tomorrow?" Xander began.

"Tomorrow?  Still in New York, they're in the middle of shooting a couple of big scenes for next week," Spike replied, not really following Xander.

"Exactly.  Drusilla is still going to be in New York.  On set.  You know exactly where she's going to be, she's not about to take off over night.  She's got work and probably a hair appointment or something like that.  Tomorrow, first thing, you fly out to New York and straighten this out.  She's at least got to talk to you.  You don't just end a 3-year relationship like this, and she knows that.  There's going to be media frenzy and chaos, and Dru's not the type to stand for rumors that could potentially hurt her image.  She's like Cordelia was, a little too vain for her own good," Xander suggested.

Xander looked over to see Spike listening intently.  The bleached rocker nodded his head slowly as Xander's words sank in.  Spike knew Dru wouldn't be thrilled about being on the front page of _Star_, or _the Enquirer_, or the top headline in "Entertainment Tonight" if it was going to make her come out looking like the bad guy.

Xander continued, "Look, this could be our first major tour.  We've worked so hard to get here.  All those hours of practice and all the rejections and days when we were ready to give up -- it all comes down to this moment.  We're almost there, but this is the last step and we've got to take it.  We really need you, Spike, all jokes aside," Xander pleaded with his friend.

Spike listened intently and thought for a few seconds before he said, "Andrew."

"Yeah, Spike?" the manager of Vampires in Love said, ready to move.

Spike sighed, "Where's my guitar?'

Andrew got up, heaving a sigh of relief that Xander had been able to do remedy the situation, at least for now.  "On stage, with the other instruments!  Everything's set up.  I got the smoke machine you wanted, the lighting won't be in your face like it was in rehearsal, and the people from Wolfram are going to be in the front row."

"Spike, here drink this!" Xander said, thrusting a cup of water at his friend as they hurried to get ready in the little time they had left.

"Breath mints!" Andrew said, tossing some at Spike.

"No one's going to be close enough to --" Spike began.

"Just put them in your mouth!  It'll cover up the vodka, and the menthol will soothe your throat so you can sing," Andrew said.

"Menthol.  Heh, could've just used my smokes for that," Spike said bitterly, popping a couple in his mouth.  He did a quick touch up of his stage makeup, trying not to think of the nicotine patch stuck to his arm.

"Seven minutes, guys!" their stage manager Vi called out, sticking her head into the room.  "Xander, we fixed your amp.  There was a loose wire, but it's not going to be a problem anymore."

"Thanks!" Xander said as she walked away.

"SEVEN MINUTES!  Ahhh!!!  This is bad, this is so very, very bad!" Andrew yelled.

"Andrew!  Shut up!" Xander said, grabbing their manager by the shoulders.  "It's going to be okay, don't make me have to slap you!  This is not a problem, see, Andrew?  Our stuff is on stage, Spike's already in costume --"

"Andrew, we're going to have a little chat about these horrid costumes," Spike said, turning and pointing a finger at his manager.

"I cannot believe Wolfram had to see us playing at that costume party the record company did when 'Bitten by Love' hit Number 1 in Europe," Xander said, fixing his tie.  He was dressed as 007 tonight.

"And what's with this stupid jewelry I got to wear?  I feel like Elizabeth Taylor!" Spike said, motioning to the necklace he wore.  Harry Winston Jewelers was trying to promote it's latest line of men's jewelry and had thought Spike would be perfect for it, little to Spike's knowledge.  Andrew, being the good manager he was, had jumped to the chance for the band to do a little marketing and promoting for the band.

"Cheer up, Liz.  At least you're not stuck wearing a tux.  I feel like I'm going to the prom all over again," Xander replied.

"Spike, Xander, we're not having this argument again right now.  Just get out there and play.  Oh wait, here!" Andrew grabbed some cologne and hairspray, spraying Spike with both.

"Give me that you nit!" Spike said, grabbing the hairspray, or what he thought was hairspray.  "Don't touch my hair!"

Xander quickly grabbed the _cologne_ out of Spike's hand and replaced it with the actual hairspray.  "Here Captain Peroxide, now hurry!"

"Don't call me that, _Xand-man_!" Spike said, mocking his bandmate's self-proclaimed nickname.  He picked up a couch cushion and aimed it at Xander.

"Excellent!  Good energy, guys!  But don't waste it here, do that on stage!  Now go forth, live long, and prosper!" Andrew said, glancing at his watch.  _Five minutes!  Just five minutes!_

"Prosper?  Oh did you see last night's 'Star Trek?'" Xander started.

"Yeah!  It was great!  Wait, wait!  Xander, out!  Spike, out!  Get out there and shake your bon-bons!" Andrew exclaimed, pushing them out the door and following them backstage.

On stage, Wesley had his guitar in hand and Riley was already positioned behind his drums.  Spike and Xander ran in breathlessly, grabbing up their guitars.  Wes gave Xander a puzzled look, to which Xander mouthed back, "Drusilla!"  Wesley and Riley both said, "Ah!" with a knowing look.  The band members and stagehands quickly did a final sound check, making sure everything was plugged in and ready to go.

"Okay guys, ready?" Spike said, turning around.  "Hands in!"

Spike, Xander, Riley, and Wesley all faced each other in a circle, putting their hands into the center.  "1 -- 2 -- 3 -- Vampires!" they said, warming up.

"Let's do this thing!" Riley exclaimed.

"Break a leg, hell break them both!" Wesley laughed, very excited and very nervous.

Spike laughed at Wesley's traditional pre-performance phrase.  "Thanks, Droopy Boy," he said quietly, glancing at his friend.

"Anytime, William," Xander said, fingers gripping his guitar, smirking at the use of Spike's real name.  Spike grinned back.

The curtain went up to reveal a tsunami of screaming fans, all there to see the Vamps.  Spike stepped forward, grabbing the mike with both hands and brought it up to his lips.  "Hello, Los Angeles!  We are Vampires in Love, and we're here to have a bloody good time!"

"Are you all ready to rock?!" Riley shouted out.  A scream, something akin to the Beatles first appearance on "Ed Sullivan" was all the reply he needed.  He put his drumsticks up in the air and counted off "One, two, three, four!"

Andrew watched from the wings as Vampires in Love struck their first chord, the drums kicked in, and the guys started to sing.  He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his watch, 8:00 pm on the dot.  _Showtime!_

**A/N: **Back again, as usual.  Just wrote this chapter pretty quickly to tide you guys over.  Got an exam next week, so kind-of in the middle of studying for that.  But then again, who isn't?  Hope you all liked this! :)


	5. The Gig

**A/N:** Hey thanks for being so patient everyone.  Here's the latest installment of "Battle of the Bands."  I'm not too sure about this chapter.  I always liked Joyce and wanted to give her a little more substance.  Plus I felt that the plot needed a good bit of "oh no, we're never going to make it!" lamenting from Buffy considering she's kind of past the golden age of rock star discovery, meaning she's not 17.  I guess most stars have worked at it for so long, but so rarely do I see any with actual college degrees.  NOT that there's anything wrong with that.  I just like the idea of Buffy having had an education too.  Does that make me should so awful?  Actually, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray (sooo hot!) has a BS in Marketing or something from UCLA or some Cali university.  His dad made him go to college before he would allow him to start playing rock music.  Plus I guess I wanted it to seem like Buffy and her friends were doing something else in the past few years, giving serious attention to the little nagging thoughts they'd had about not making it big.

Anyways, thanks to everyone for the reviews!!!  You are so super peachy!  And thanks for the comments on my other story, "Dancing." :)

Chapter 5: The Gig 

"Buffy, hi honey!  It's Mom.  Where can I park?" Joyce Summers said, talking into her cell phone while steering down Main Street, headed for the Bronze.  She and Dawn were reaching the Bronze at 6 pm that Saturday night, ready to grab a good seat for the Dingoes and Scoobies concert.  Unfortunately so was the rest of Sunnydale.  Everyone had heard that the Dingoes were back in town and were excited to see their local rock and roll stars.

"Hey Mom!  Okay, what you need to do is go around to the back and park where it says 'Reserved.'  I gave your license plate number to the club, so they'll make sure you won't get towed.  Come in the back entrance, the one marked 'Private,'" Buffy replied.

"Great, I'll see you in a few minutes!"

"Oh my gosh, this is totally the coolest!  Thanks for taking me, Mrs. Summers!  Mom and Dad said they'd be here as soon as work got off, so they could see the show," Dawn's best friend Janice piped up from the back seat.  Coincidentally she was also the younger sister of Dingoes member, Owen Thurman.

"Yeah I know!  VIP treatment.  We rock!  Kind of makes me think that we should form a band too," Dawn babbled.  "Uh, I mean after high school... becoming valedictorian... and... and... a-a-and going to …Oxford?" she quickly supplied after a glance from her mother.

"Oh look, there's Buffy!  She's at the door waiting.  This must be so exciting!  Giving a concert with Dingoes!  Maybe there'll be some agents or something in the crowd tonight?" Joyce exclaimed.

"Mom, first off, in the biz we call it a 'gig' and secondly, agents don't just come to Sunnydale.  Get with it!" Dawn said.

There came another sidelong glance paired with a frown.  She raised her eyebrows at her youngest daughter this time and said, "I went to school in the '60s and '70s kiddo, I think I know a little something about music and gigs.  Ever heard of Jimi Hendrix?"

"Isn't he Superman's sidekick?" Janice said.

"No, that's Jimmy Olsen!  And I heard Justin Timberlake is going to play him in the next _Superman_ movie!  I hope they choose someone as hot as Tobey to play Superman!" Dawn said, correcting her friend.

"No way!  Tobey is so not hot!  James Marsters is so much better looking!" Janice said.

"Okay that one I'll give you!"

"Come on, girls!  Everybody out!  We're here," Joyce said as she put her vehicle in park.

"Hi Mom!  Hey guys," Buffy greeted her mother and the teens as they walked into the Bronze.

"Wow!  This place looks awesome!  Hey are the Dingoes here?" Janice asked eagerly.  "Is Gunn here?"

"They're still setting up.  And yes, Gunn is here.  He's over there by Faith," Buffy answered, rolling her eyes at them, knowing it was impossible to stop teenage girls on a mission.

"Thanks!  We'll see you at the table, Mom.  C'mon Janice!" Dawn exclaimed, grabbing her best friend's hand as they scampered off giggling.

"Buffy, this really is wonderful.  Who knows, a few more shows like this and maybe you could be headlining somewhere one day!"

"It's just the Bronze, Mom.  I mean I know it's a big deal, but we've played here a few times already.  This isn't any different."

"Oh but it is, honey.  You've got the star power of the Dingoes behind you.  Maybe there could be some agents or promoters or even reporters in the crowd tonight.  You never know.  Any little thing could help," Joyce said.

"Whoa!  Back up there, Mom.  I really doubt that.  We're just doing this as a favor to the guys."  Buffy sighed, running a hand through her hair.  "Sometimes I feel like nothing will help these days.  No matter what we do, it's just not good enough.  You know, I've been thinking, and that PhD has been sounding just a little less terrible lately."

"But will you be doing what you love?  I saw how much your father hated his job, how much it tore him apart some days, tore us apart even.  I don't want to see you stuck behind a desk doing something that's going to drive you crazy ten years from now.  I know you hated me in high school for not letting you quit and try to make it big, but I'm really proud of all that you've accomplished.  You got through school, you did what you had to --"

"That's because we never got that big break, Mom.  Do you honestly think I would have stuck with college had we able to become something bigger?"

"I'd like to think so, I really do.  I'm sorry honey, but you know I couldn't have lived with myself if you hadn't gone to college, especially after getting SAT scores like yours.  And even when you brought home a few C's, you were still going to school and trying.  That's all I ever wanted, to make sure you had a good foundation and now you do."

"I know.  I get that now.  At least now I never have to worry about having to work at the Doublemeat Palace because the music business chewed me up and spit me back out.  Well, actually it never even decided to take a bite -- and -- and I'm going to stop now because that sounds totally gross."

"I just want to see you happy," Joyce said to her older daughter.

"Then Willow and I should have just took off after junior year and found a recording contract.  We're too old to be discovered now.  Everyone's searching for the next Britney or Christina, no one wants a rock band."

"Again with the high school bit, Buffy?  I don't know how you and Willow would have taken off considering it was just the two of you.  I'm glad Oz and Devon were around to drill some sense into you girls and make you stay put," Joyce said.  She smiled at Buffy and pulled her in for a hug, knowing her daughter was just getting the normal pre-show jitters.

Buffy sighed, resting her head on Joyce's shoulder.  "It's really not so bad, Mom.  I don't mind doing research and I like my job.  So do the rest of the gang.  I mean, we had dreams about waking up one day and being the next Green Day or Coldplay or No Doubt, but it's no big.  We still have fun doing what we're doing.  The guys and I have had so many long talks about this by now.  You know I think that even if the Scoobies is just a hobby it's something we'll always have for stress relief.  It's still a part of who I am, and it'll always be a part of my life.  But we've got other things to worry about now," Buffy sighed again.

"No Buffy, I still see big things ahead for you girls.  I know it's not easy to make it, and you all have worked so hard.  But I still don't think this is it.  I think you needed a while to mature before you were able to get really good, like you are now.  Maturity has something to do with being a good writer and a good lyricist.  At least now you're not writing about 16-year-old teen angst?  You've lived enough to write some meaningful lyrics."

"I thought you liked our stuff back then?" Buffy said, staring at her mother.

"I did, but I like your music better now.  Its so much more hip," Joyce said.

"Mom, please don't use the word 'hip' unless you're referring to your own," Buffy said, shaking her head and grinning.

"What?  Why is it both of my daughters think I lived in a box before you girls were born?  I knew how to boogie back in the day!"  Joyce joked.

"Ahhhh, Mom!!!  Please!  I'm nervous enough as it is, I don't need to hear about you 'boogie-ing!'" Buffy said, putting her hands over her ears.

Joyce put a hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh.  Being a parent was just too much fun sometimes.  "Maybe it's like you're cookie dough," Joyce began again.

"Huh?"

"That's it, you're like cookie dough."

"And let me repeat, 'huh?'" Buffy said, confused.

"Well see, it's like you guys are still cookie dough, and you've been mixing and trying to find the right ingredients all these years.  You're almost ready to go into the oven, and one day you will, and all of a sudden you'll be done and you'll come out cookies."

"Oh," Buffy paused to reflect on her mother's words a moment before continuing.  "I get it, but cookie dough?"

"Sorry," Joyce said, shaking her head and laughing.  "I actually had time to bake some cookies before today's show.  Just for good luck, speaking of which -- I think I left those in the car!  I'm going to pop out and get those, okay?"  She returns a few moments later to find Buffy going over last minute voice warm ups with Anya, Faith, and Tara.

"Hey, Mrs. Summers!  Glad you could make it," Tara said, hugging Buffy's mom.

"Yo, Ms. S, what's the happening?" Faith said, turning to take the tray of cookies from Joyce's hands.

"These wouldn't happen to be your famous double-chocolate-extra-mocha-walnut-I'm-going-to-gain-10-pounds-by-smelling-them cookies, would they, Joyce?" Willow said, coming up to join the group.  Smiling she gave Mrs. Summers a hug.

"I find that sugar can be healthy on certain occasions.  Under a mother's supervision of course," Joyce grinned, hugging Willow back.  She gazed fondly at her daughter's red-headed best friend before saying, "I can't tell you girls how proud I am of all of you.  This place looks fabulous.  I was telling Buffy that I can't believe how a few years ago you girls were asking for rides to shows and scraping together money to pay for instruments and lessons."

"Yeah it does look pretty jazzed doesn't it?  I'm hoping the after party will be just as fun," Faith said.

Buffy said, "Mom's been going on and on like this is some big accomplishment.  I tried to tell her that we're about this close to throwing in the towel and settling down like --"

"Like really boring people who've had it up to here," Faith ended.

"What about the concert you girls had a few weeks ago?  And the one last month was a big hit too.  And now this?  You're just warming up." Joyce said, trying to be encouraging.

She didn't want to let on that she knew, but Joyce had been hearing talks of the Scoobies ending it for good for the last 3 months.  Music was such a big part of their lives and she was afraid to see it go to waste.  She'd never told anyone, but she'd always dreamt of becoming a painter, traveling through Europe trading secrets with artists and finally ending up somewhere in Greenwich Village with a chic pad and living by her wits and her skill.  It was her mother who'd forced her to go to school to become an art historian.  She'd ended up managing a gallery -- which she did love, but it wasn't her first love.  Lately she'd been afraid that she'd made the same mistake with Buffy and didn't want her oldest daughter to have a big regret for the rest of her life.  She had thought seeing Buffy -- the girl who never believed she had a smart brain cell to her name -- being able to graduate from college was the single most happiest day of her life.  But it was her dream she had been asking Buffy to live for so long.  Joyce hoped she hadn't realized it too late.

Joyce continued, "I just think that something feels really special about tonight.  I don't know what, call it mother's intuition maybe?"

"Well, the Troika's illness is very beneficial for us.  Who knew that vomiting your guts out could have such widespread benefits, for us and for the crowd.  We do sound much better than the Troika anyways," Anya commented in her blunt manner.

"Ahn!" Willow said.

"What?  What?  Wait, am I doing that thing again?  The one you hate?" Anya said, confused.

"You mean where you say the things that no one else should ever hear?" Tara smiled.

"Yeah that one," Willow finished.

"Twently minutes till curtain, chicas!" Owen said walking up to the group with Dingoes.  "Oooh cookies!  Thanks Mrs. Summers!" he said, diving for one.

"What?  Twenty minutes!  How's my hair?" Devon said, beginning to worry.

"Has anyone ever told you that you were going bald in the back of your head?" Gunn said, messing up Devon's hair.

"Bald?!" Devon said, choking on a cookie.

"Chill, boy.  I don't know how you've lived so long being so shallow.  Are you sure you and Buffy aren't meant for each other?" Faith joked.

"Ring ring!  Kettle?  Hello, this is Pot.  Guess what, you're black!" Buffy said, laughing at her own joke.

"B, that's not fair.  I'm not shallow.  You're just jealous that you don't naturally look this good," Faith said, pulling at a strand of Buffy's long blonde locks.

"At least my wardrobe includes more than black leather pants.  Dominatrix-y much?" Buffy said, pointing to Faith's ensemble.

Oz came up and put his arms around Willow. "Must they always be like this?" he said.

"I think it'd kind of a pre-show ritual with those two.  You know them, always a drama queen, never a queen," Willow said.

"Guys, I think its time you hit the stage.  Final sound check time, people.  Let's move it!" Gunn said, clapping his hands.

"Let's get ready to party, ladies!" Owen said, grabbing another cookie.

Dawn and Janice came up and giggled, hanging on to every word the Dingoes said.  Tara hugged Dawn and said she was glad Dawn could make it.  Buffy and Faith finally settled down and Faith started running through a final outfit inspection with Anya.  Buffy, Gunn, Oz, and Willow were going over a last minute checklist in Oz's hands.  Devon and Owen were trying to amaze Janice with how many cookies they could fit into their mouths.

Joyce stood back watching the scene unfold.  It honestly seemed like yesterday when Buffy and Willow had run home breathless and excited about their very first gig at the Espresso Pump.  _Where did the time go?_ she thought to herself, laughing at the antics of her daughter and her closest friends.  Everyone gathered in for a final good luck group hug, before breaking and getting ready to give Sunnydale one of the best shows in rock history.


	6. The Catch

**A/N: Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews.  Wanted to post this chapter as a present to all of you, even though my bday was yesterday!  Teehee.  I'm officially 23 now.  I feel so old.  Being old sucks.  Wahhhhh.  But I'm still younger than most of the people in my med school class.  Okay so here's chapter 6, totally Vampires in Love centric chapter.  Btw, I have no idea how the recording industry and music business actually works so I'm just making this up as I go along.  I suppose that's okay, seeing as it's fanfic and all!  Hehe.  Happy holidays and I hope you all enjoy this! :)**

Chapter 6: The Catch 

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauties!" Wes sang out, drawing back the curtains in the living room of the swanky LA pad he and Spike shared.  Wesley stepped back to survey the damage.  Xander was folded up sleeping in a chair, Riley was draped over a sofa, and Spike somewhere between the futon and the floor.  Sunlight poured into the decadent room, cascading over every shiny bit and bauble they'd bought from the skyrocketing sales of their album.

"Gahhh!!!" Spike cried out, jerking his head up and throwing up his hands to cover his face as the light hit him.  Unaware of his current precarious position, he fell off the futon in the process and landed on the floor as a tangled mass of limbs and sheets.

"It's sunlight, Spike.  You're not a real vampire.  I think you're going to be okay," Wes said rolling his eyes as he cracked a grin.

Spike put one hand on the floor and propped himself up to peer over the coffee table at his little brother.  Eyes squinted he said, "Oi!  What the fuck did you do that for, you wanker!  Do you have any bloody idea what time it is?  I was asleep!"  
"And now you're not.  Get up Xander!" Wes replied, while snatching the sheet Xander was wrapped up in.

"No Mommy, just 5 more minutes!" Xander sat up and blinked, suddenly aware of his surroundings.  His voice dropped a notch and he continued, "Uh, I mean, uh.  What the hell?  Yeah, that's what I meant to say!  What the hell did you do that for, Wes?"

Just then the phone rang.  Since it was conveniently located near Riley's head, he awoke with a start.  He jumped of the sofa and was immediately in the fighting stance of a soldier.  "Incoming!" he said, a remnant of his days in ROTC in college.

"Drop and give me 50 soldier!" Spike said, as he watched Riley automatically hit the ground and start doing pushups before the realization dawned on him that he wasn't actually in a barracks.  Spike watched his friend make an ass out himself, as he and Xander collapsed in fits of laughter.  "Dumbass!" Spike managed to choke out, delighted with his joke.

Wes stepped over him to answer the still-ringing phone.  "Hello?  Good morning, Andrew!  Yes they're finally awake, or getting there.  Mmm hmm.  Okay.  Noon?  That's fine, we should be there by then.  Mmm hmm.  Yeah, sure.  Brilliant then!  Noon it is.  Ta!"  

Wesley turned to face his bandmates and said, "All right, everybody up!  No time for lolly-gagging.  Wake up!  We have a meeting with the record company this afternoon and Andrew is meeting us at noon to debrief.  Now get up!"

"Wesley, do you have to be so damn chipper -- or so very British at this hour?" Xander quipped.

Wes raised an eyebrow in reply, a slightly amused and slightly insulted look playing across his face.  It was similar to the expression Spike wore.

"Hey now, moron!  We can't all be so very cool like you.  Hawaiian shirts went out in the eighties," Spike replied.

"Hey Spike, I think Billy Idol wants his look back," Riley said.

"He stole that from me!"

"As I recall Spike, you were 10 and you thought playing with Mum's hair stuff would be a ripping good idea.  I think Dad found you ready to put on her lipstick next," Wesley said.

"TMI!  TMI" Xander yelled.  "Spike with lipstick!  Definitely too much information."

"Wait, are there pictures?" Riley said, "Pictures could be very useful one day."

"Wesley, my dear brother, you seem to forget Dad also found you in Mum's high heels with a feather boa around your neck, singing a Barbara Streisand number.  God, that was funny!  I still remember you kicking and screaming as he dragged you out the door so he could sign you up for fencing lessons!  Trying to man you up, but I don't think it worked."

The phone rang.  Again.  It was Andrew.  Again.  He was calling to make sure they were awake.  Riley got the phone and he didn't sense the slight bit of tension in Andrew's voice as he spoke.  "Yeah, yeah we're up.  Relax Andrew.  I know, we'll be there.  Mmm hmm.  But seriously, on a Saturday?  On the Saturday after we played the Hyperion?  Remind me to thank you once I see you.  Okay, here's Wesley," Riley said, stretching and yawning, handing off the phone.

"Fine, Magic Box first?  Then Wolfram and Hart?  I think that's fine.  But why?  I thought we only had to meet with Magic Box Records today.  Mmm hmm.  I'll let the others know.  Yes, go ahead and send the car around 20 minutes before, we'll be waiting.  Bye," Wesley said, finishing up his conversation.

"What'd he want this time?" Xander asked.

"I think he called to see if we really were awake.  That guy needs to have his stress levels checked.  One of these days he's going to be scared by his own shadow," Riley said.

"It was something about plans changing.  He said it was important.  If you were listening last night, Andrew indicated that we'd probably have to meet with the execs at Magic Box today anyways.  Something about making sure we're prepared before we go into final contract negotiations with Wolfram and Hart for the tour.  But seems like Wolfram and Hart absolutely has to meet with us today," Wes finished.

"That's odd.  That meeting with Wolfram and Hart wasn't until next week," Spike interjected.

"It's probably some stupid meeting about what we want our tour posters to look like or something trivial like if we want peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on our roster -- which we definitely do!" Xander commented.

"Yeah but today?  I thought rock star life was supposed to be cushy and easy.  Can't we hire people to do all that negotiating and advertising for us?  Wait, don't we have people to do all that for us?" Riley questioned.

"I think they're called lawyers and agents.  I was pretty sure we had a couple or twenty of those," Xander said.

"What are you complaining about?  It's not like you ladies had anything planned for today.  You can get your nails done anytime!" Spike joked, struggling to get up.  He stretched and yawned, one hand reaching under his shirt absent-mindedly to scratch his flat stomach.  And then the wave of nausea hit him. "Oh bollocks!" he exclaimed, as he ran for the bathroom.

Riley started moving around as well.  Blinking, he put a hand to his forehead.  "Oh God.  What did we do last night?  More importantly, what did we drink?  Lighter fluid?!"

Wes smiled, "Yeah it was a pretty good concert, wasn't it?"

"Hey how come you're all awake today, and why is it you're suddenly our secretary?  Didn't you drink some of that crap we mixed together last night?" Riley commented.

"Hardly, what do you think I am?  Insane?  I can hold my liquor like a man, but I have no idea what the hell you ponces were doing.  I think there actually might have been lighter fluid involved," Wesley said.

"Well yeah, I mean that was kind of the point.  Celebrate.   That and get Spike drunk off his ass so he wouldn't go do something stupid like call up Drusilla.  I think the nutcase is finally gone this time," Riley said.

"Riley, the point was to make him forget Drusilla.  Not to turn him inside out in the morning," Wesley said quietly but firmly, walking around the room picking up blankets.

Xander and Riley had no response.  They knew better than to try to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal, because it was.  Wesley was the quiet one, the shy one, and of course the youngest.  But somehow he kept the most level head at times.  He was certainly far from boring, but he'd always been a reserved child, especially when their mother had passed away.  He'd seen what alcohol had done to his father, and that was quite possibly why Wesley was so wary of it, unlike most normal 19 year old boys who were just looking for a good time.  

Wesley worried about his older brother.  Spike always seemed so together in life and had always taken care of Wesley as a child, every project, every homework assignment, every bully, every time he didn't have the courage to ask a girl out, everything.  In some ways Spike was his Yoda.  Except for when it came to Drusilla and quite possibly when it came to the alcohol.  It was the only time Wesley ever saw Spike fall apart, another reason why he hated Drusilla as much as he did.  No matter what Spike did, Drusilla always managed to cut him up and tear him down in some way.  And Spike would always turn to something stupid like alcohol or something positive like his music to feel better.  

Wesley'd had a hell of a time getting his brother to cut down on his smoking, somehow getting him to at least try the patch.  After everything Spike had done for him, he still felt responsible for Spike when matters of the heart were concerned.  His brother had never been the most logical person when it came to the fairer sex.

They all turned to hear the gagging from the bathroom.  Riley started turning a peculiar shade of green as well, and quickly excused himself for the other bathroom before matters got worse.  Xander made his way to the kitchen to put on a pot of fresh coffee, knowing that they would all need it to get going.

Wes sighed and turned to check on Spike.  He knocked on the door.  "Are you all right in there, William?" he said, reverting back to Spike's given name.

"I'm fine!  I'm fine!  Don't worry.  I've just got to shower and get some coffee in me," came the muffled reply from the other side of the door.

"Are you sure?  After last night..."

"After last night, what?  Done deal!  We've got more important things to do today.  Stop acting like a nancy, I'll be fine!  Now clean up the living room!"  
"Yes, brother dear!" Wesley said.  He waited a moment to hear the shower turn on.  He grinned and snuck his way into the bathroom to flush the toilet.

The shower sputtered and Spike yelped.  "Wesley, I'm going to rip your bloody head off and drink from your brainstem when I get out of here!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Wes ran out laughing and shaking his head.  _That's my brother!  Always bounces back somehow.  I hope that bitch stays away this time_, he thought as he headed back to the living room.

                                                                                            *    *    *    *    *

An hour later (well an hour and 10 minutes to be exact since Xander spent the extra 10 minutes looking for a Hawaiian shirt, just to bother Spike)...  Anyways, almost an hour later Vampires in Love met Andrew at a coffee shop a few blocks from Magic Box Records.

"Hey guys!  That was a great party last night!" Andrew said, bouncing up and down.  A few lattes littered his table, guilty of fueling his hyperactivity to excessive levels this Sunday morning.  A server came with lunch (well breakfast for the guys) that Andrew had already ordered.

The Vamps looked at their manager in disbelief.  Andrew had slammed back quite a few (girly) drinks for his small frame, and yet here he was, awake, cheery, and looking fabulous.  They all wondered what his secret was.

"All right Drew, let's have it!  Why are we here?" Spike began, pulling out a chair and turning it around backwards before he sat down, spreading out his duster behind him.  God only knew why Spike still had a leather coat on in the middle of summer, but if Linus needed to carry around a security blanket, Spike was entitled to his image-defining coat as well.

"Spike!  Do you not listen to a word I say?  You guys knew we'd have to do some sort of post-show debriefing and if you actually listened to me once in a while you would have remembered.  Or could have at least pretended!" Andrew whined.  "And hey, don't call me Drew!  I hate that name, makes me sound girly, like Drew Barrymore.  But she was so good in _Charlie's Angels_.  I loved that black ensemble she had on, it was so cute.  I mean, made her _ass_ look so cute!" Andrew finished, emphasis on the last sentence.

"Andrew, I'm sure there are probably laws against holding a debriefing at this hour, so let's get on with this, shall we?" Wesley interjected, trying to move things along.

"Okay, then let's boogie.  First off, excellent show!  Wolfram and Hart loved, loved, loved it!  Totally a money maker.  Second, Magic Box wants to talk details for a DVD for the tour.  We're talking major promotions here!  They're behind this project 100 percent, which is actually pretty amazing since they're agreeing to all the terms Wolfram and Hart are setting forth in their contract to back your tour.  Magic Box is ready to talk licensing, logos, tour posters, ideas for a tour theme, contests, TV and radio spots.  And that's not all!  This is bigger than just music and touring --"

"Bigger than music?" Xander said, raising a skeptic eyebrow.

"You know what I mean.  Of course this is all about the music, but don't forget it's about money too.  Do you realize what a hot commodity you guys are?  Clothing!  Lunch boxes!  Accessories!  Fruit Snacks!  Action Figures!  You guys could be action figures!  Isn't that the coolest?  I wonder if managers get action figures too?  I wonder if they could make me look like a young Luke Skywalker?" Andrew rambled, getting starry eyed.

"Andrew, I know it's about money.  We get that.  We're got to eat, but this is a lot of merchandising we're talking about here.  Aren't you concerned it might look like we're selling out?" Riley asked.

"No, no!" Andrew said, waving his hands.  "It may seem tacky at first, but this is the biz.  It's very complex.  It's never just what you sing or how good you are.  It's always about who you know, who you who can get to know, and who will love you a year from now."

Spiked was irked, "What, you think we don't know that it sure as hell is going to matter if a bunch of screaming girls are still getting their panties in a twist over us a year from now?  This is about the fifth time we've had this conversation.  Do we really have to be involved with every single bloody part of deciding what merchandise is made?"

"Spike, I think if we're going to put our name on something, we'd better be damn sure it's something fun and something safe.  Do you really want to see 'Vampires in Love: the dishwashing liquid!' on TV?" Riley joked.

"Did I mention the website?" Andrew interjected.

"There's a website?" Xander asked.

"Not yet!  But we've got to get working on it.  I called up a friend of mine who's one of the best web developers around -- her company has worked with Green Day, Christina Aguilera, Sting, Santana, Busta Rhymes, to name a few," Andrew continued on.

"Okay, sounds good then.  But do we have to hammer out those details right now?" Xander asked.  Andrew ignored his question and continued on breathlessly.

"It gets better!  MTV wants to do a 'Diary' on you, Oprah loves you guys and wants you to perform, and you might have the covers of the next _Rolling Stone_, _Spin_, and _Seventeen_!  Maybe even _PC World _too, I bet I could swing that," their manager babbled, scratching his chin absently.  "You're also scheduled to do 'Conan' and 'Good Morning America' in the next few weeks, and Miramax wants you to do a track for the next Sarah Michelle Gellar movie," Andrew finished.

Wes began, "Slow down!  Isn't this getting a little out of hand?  I mean we're literally --"

"Blowing up?  Yes, you guys have arrived!  This is celebrity at it's goriest, most decadent, and it's perfect.  This is going to mean a lot, and I mean a lot of money for you guys.  Everyone wants you and in every single country across the globe.  This is nothing short of awesome," Andrew ended breathlessly, green dollar signs dancing in his eyes.

"I guess it can't be all bad, Sam can finally have that big wedding that she wants," Riley said, letting the information sink in.

"I guess there is the distinct possibility that I could still be interested in going to Harvard Law in a few years," Wesley said.  The guys stared at him for a moment before he shrugged and said, "What?  The lot of you doesn't need to look so shocked.  You know I like my books."

"I know, isn't this great?  It's bigger than you, than me, than anything Magic Box or Wolfram and Hart ever intended.  Early sales numbers and market trends show that you guys are going to be one of the dominant forces of the next fiscal year," Andrew said.  He slowed down a bit and became serious all at once, "This really is amazing, guys.  This is the big time, you've made it.  You never have to worry about being struggling musicians ever.  You'd be legends.  This is big."

"And how about kind of overwhelming?  How are we supposed to make any of these decisions?" Xander said, a little worried.

"Not to worry, Xander.  I'm sure Andrew has got enough connections and enough minions to dance for us, isn't that right?" Spike said, narrowing his eyes.

"Well of course, we've got enough people working for you guys now that it shouldn't be an issue.  I was just so excited and had to fill you in on the whole gist of things so you'd be ready for the meeting."

"Then why do I think that there's something else you're not saying?  I'm getting the feeling we've just been buttered up," Xander said.

"What else could there be?  This is all good news," Riley asked his bandmate.

"No, there is something else.  Andrew, what's the catch?" Spike asked curiously.  He'd lived long enough to know that with the good always came the bad.  With the yin came the yang, with the hot came the cold, with the sour came the sweet.  This wasn't it.   There was something else.

"Catch?  What do you mean?" Andrew said, a little nervous.  He wasn't too fond of Spike's temper some days.

"What.  Is.  The.  Catch," Spike repeated, his voice low and hard.  "There's always a catch.  Nothing in this life is without a price.  Do we have to sign away our souls or something?"

Andrew looked down at his hands for a moment, inspecting an imaginary hangnail before opening his mouth.  He sighed.  "Okay, I was hoping I wouldn't have to mention this to you, because it's really not that big of a deal.  I mean it's just a minor, little, teensy weensy snafu."

"Andrew," Wesley said.

"Okay!  Okay!  I give!  Youhavenoopeningband," their manager said, his resolve breaking slightly.

"What was that?" Riley asked, confused.

"I said that you guys don't have an opening act," Andrew sighed.

"But how can that be?  We played with Parker's Love Machine last night," Spike rolled his eyes and mumbled, " God how I hate that bloody name," before continuing, "What about those buggers?  Wasn't Magic Box promoting them as the next Jimmy Eat World?"

"Like I said, you have no opening band.  They were arrested last night for drug trafficking and running an illegal pirated music and software ring.  The offenses are likely going to be tried as felonies.  We won't be seeing them for a while.  A long while," Andrew said, relaying the grim news.

"What?!  Felonies?  This isn't going to affect us in any way is it?" Wesley asked, very concerned.

"It shouldn't.  You were in no way involved, there's no proof of you even knowing more than what I've told you right now.  No one really knew what was going on.  I know you'd been rehearsing with them for a while for this tour, but your communications with them were strictly business and always in the presence of several witnesses.  Worst case scenario, it may have some negative public backlash but Magic Box and I've got a team running damage control right now," Andrew finished.

"All right, so potentially bad situation, but we know we're innocent, the public knows it, and we've got some hot shot lawyers doing their stuff.  This isn't a big deal, right?  It's not like they were that good anyways," Xander said.

"It is and it isn't.  It isn't a big deal since none of the lawyer type stuff has any bearing on you.  But we're running into a major snag with Wolfram and Hart.  They're one of the biggest tour promoters in the biz.  They have contacts and connections like you could only dream of.  If they do the legwork for your tour and fund you, your career is definitely a sure thing.  You would have mass market appeal, you could break into acting, into writing, politics, basically whatever you wanted to do since they are that big a corporation.  Because you've had good album sales, naturally the next step is the tour, so a lot is weighing on setting this up," Andrew explained.

"Get to it, Blondie," Spike growled.

"Basically, we've got two options here.  Plan A, you all find someone else to play with you or Wolfram and Hart drop you all together.  Remember they're already started to book some preliminary dates and started to generate media buzz.  Most companies are tied up for the same tour block that you want, so we'd be looking into some time a year from now if you'd want to start touring for this current album.  That's time you don't have to waste.  They don't want to do that.  They are giving you the option to find your own replacement for Parker's Love Machine, so that you'll have an opening act.  You cannot tour without a band to warm up the crowd and start things off.  It's in the contract.  But if you don't find someone and still want to stay with the tour, then Plan B is executed," Andrew said.

"Plan B?" Riley asked.

"Plan B is that they pick someone for you.  And I'm pretty sure you guys won't go along with Plan B.  If you don't find an opening act you're going to be stuck with teen pop sensation Kennedy as your opening act.  And there's a distinct possibility that you could be opening for her instead.  She's the daughter of a California Congressman and Wolfram and Hart would have all sorts of legal lobbying power if they backed a tour for her.  Like I said, they're a big company.  They have holdings in the restaurant business, in the clothing industry, the semiconductor/technology sector, basically everything imaginable.  They've got nothing to lose if they drop you guys, and everything to gain if they go with Kennedy," Andrew continued.

"Kennedy?  Teenager, endless brown hair, annoying voice?  Didn't we see her at some movie opening a while ago?" Xander said.

"Yes, that's her," Andrew said.

"No!  No fucking way!  That bint?  Touring with us?  I'd rather scratch my own eyes out!" Spike exclaimed.

"Oh God, I remember her!  I've heard her sing.  She sounds like a drowned cat!  Someone needs to put that girl out of her misery," Wesley said in agreement.

"Hold on a minute, this really isn't that hard to fix.  So big deal, we find a new opening act and all this is squared away.  We don't have to worry about Kennedy and we don't have to worry about being dropped by Wolfram and Hart," Riley replied.

"Well, it's not going to be that easy," Andrew said, suddenly very uncomfortable.

"There's more?  I am going to kill Parker if I ever see him again," Xander said.

Andrew ran his hands through his hair, a very stressed mask covering his normally jovial face, "There's more.  You have exactly 1 week to find a replacement band."

"One week?  How the hell are we supposed to that?  Have you heard the nonsense out there today?" Wesley said.

Andrew sighed.  "That's it, one week.  But guys, calm down.  This is why our friends at Magic Box want to meet with us after this.  They're going to help out too, they're got a few bands they're been trying to work with.  Landing a contract with Wolfram and Hart for one of their bands would be a big deal for them too, considering they're a relatively young record company.  They want to help too, so you've got to be calm at this meeting.  That means you Spike," Andrew said with a pointed look at the notoriously outspoken rocker.

Spike shook his head in disbelief.  "I'm not that stupid!  I know full well Magic Box could stop producing our album and pull it off the shelves if they really wanted to.  Looks like they got us by the short hairs this time," he said, rubbing a hand across his forehead.  He banged a fist down on the table all of a sudden, "Fuck!  Fuck!  Fuck!  Fuck!  First Dru.  Now this.  What's next?  Bloody hell."

"One fucking week!  Hello, do they realize we're not exactly magicians here?" Xander said.

"And I've heard some of those so-called 'bands' Magic Box has waiting in the wings, and quite frankly they all suck!" Riley exclaimed.

"So how does this work?  Say we find a new band in a week's time; it's not going to be only our say right?" Wesley asked.

"Well most of it will be up to you.  They've got enough faith that you know what you're looking for and don't want to hassle with it at the moment.  Like I said, Wolfram and Hart have a sure thing with Kennedy anyways.  It's up to you to find a band that you like, Magic Box needs to sign them, after some type of informal auditions, and Wolfram and Hart will come in with the final go ahead in a few weeks.  It's a sticky situation, but it's definitely workable," Andrew said.

"Bloody hell," Wesley cursed.

They were all silent for a moment, letting the reality of the situation sink in.  What seemed so simple 2 days ago had become a complex web of insanity.  They were definitely between a rock and a hard place and it was no longer a measure of how good a band they were, but a stupid game of musical chairs and politics.  

"Fine," Spike said after a few moments.  "Let's go find ourselves a bloody opening act.  And this time they'd better have a decent name."

"Or at least be hot," Xander joked, trying to ease the tension.

The five got out of their seats and walked off to do some strategic planning.  It was crunch time.

**A/N: Hey long chappie, right?  Did you enjoy?!  I hope so! :)**


	7. The Gig Part Deux

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. Breakups, school starting, spending 16 hours working in the hospital (med school), taking the medical board exam, lots of stuff going on and I apologize I haven't updated this story in nearly 8 months. Thanks to everyone for their reviews and emails and support and every little thing you guys say about my work. It means so much. It's amazing when fans email or IM you and say they're a fan. It's one of the most amazing feelings in the world. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for being participants in my little Spuffy world. BTW, sorry this is un-beta-ed. I just wrote this in about an hour. I finally had a day off today (for the first time in 2 weeks) and just wanted to get something finished before I had to work again.

**_Battle of the Bands_**

**by: Fashiongrrl**

**Chapter 7: The Gig Part Deux**

_The previous night at the Bronze (a continuation of the Friday in Chapter 5)..._

The Scoobies got ready to perform what was to be a tremendous set. It was so exciting, a real concert with real people and real applause and real sweat, tears, and hard-earned cash. It was the most amazing feeling in the world, getting paid to do what you love.

Buffy took the stage and felt a power surge through her veins as she picked up her guitar, Mr. Pointy as she liked to call it. In the background, she heard Anya hit her sticks together and go "1, 2, 3, 4" and Faith's exclamation of "let's do this!" next to her. Buffy took a deep breath as struck up the chords to their first song and felt something almost electric course through her body. And no, it wasn't a short circuit in her electric guitar.

The happiest moments of Buffy's life were spent on stage: the "America Rocks" play in second grade where she got to play Betsy Ross, the LA Prep summer camp production of "Romeo and Juliet" where she was Romeo quite naturally since it was an all girls day camp, her performance as Kate in their high school drama production of the musical "Kiss Me Kate," and every single time the Scoobies got a chance to play. It was magical, like every single ounce of her soul was poured out in golden, liquid words, falling -- no -- flowing from her mouth anytime she burst into song. The melody, the harmony, the riffs, the chorus, every single second of it, every single syllable, it was mysterious and sexy and perfection wrapped up into one little moment. Nothing else in her life could spark her the way music did, and she forgot that the Scoobies hadn't had a gig in a while or that they were thinking of breaking up because they weren't going to make it big, because none of that mattered at that moment. She was Buffy Summers. She was a performer. To hell with tomorrow and the uncertainty of it all, she had tonight and she was going to make every moment on the Bronze stage last because that's all she could do right then.

"I want you, I need you

I think I melt without you

I'm suffocating, anticipating

Breaking, falling off the ledge

Someone catch me

Before I hit the edge

Of the world

Of space

Of time

Of this place

I hate you, I need you

I think I die without you

I'm not myself, I'm no one else

Feel the wind rushing past

Someone catch me

Before I cry and crash"

The Scoobies struck the final notes of their opening song and looked up to see a crowd transfixed by their music, their melody, and their power. Everyone in the audience had music singing through their veins after the band's energetic opener, and were dancing like they were on fire. For Anya, Buffy, Faith, Tara, and Willow nothing could compare to the feeling of being on stage. Absolutely nothing. It was the most amazing, perfect few minutes away from real life and jobs and bills and death and taxes and broken relationships and drowning dreams. It was sheer bliss, nothing more and nothing less. With renewed vigor the band jumped right into the rest of their set, pounding drums, strumming guitars with clever fingers, and singing like there was no tomorrow.

All the while, in a corner, someone watched. He watched Buffy jump across the stage with her guitar, he watched Faith grab the mike in a death grip and croon into it, he watched Tara's finger fly across the piano keys -- nothing but a blur of black and white, he watched as Anya took out any rage over lost pennies on her drums, pounding out crescendo after decrescendo, and he watched Willow's brow furrow in concentration as she made musical love to the bass guitar cradled in her hands, every bit on par with Oz's skill and passion. In a quiet corner, a stranger sat and watched.

"Thank you Sunnydale!" Buffy screamed out.

"Sunnydale, you guys know how to rock!" Faith screamed.

"We are the Scoobies, and we hope we've earned a place in your hearts tonight," Tara said.

"Buy our CD! On sale here at the Bronze for $10!" Anya added.

"All right, now lets hear it for the Dingoes Ate My Baby!!!" Willow finished.

The band took a bow and the curtains closed around them. They clamored off stage, an aura of happiness permeating the air, already thick with smoke. Joyce and Dawn were busy in the audience, seeing as people were flocking towards them eager to buy the Scoobies self-produced CD. They'd all take it home, put it in their stereos on repeat, and never take it out for the next year. Of course that seemed like a pretentious guesstimate, but it was the truth, the Scoobies weren't going to be hanging out in small town clubs for a long time. This was their night, and every empty promise was about to be fulfilled.

The Dingoes and a couple of the Scoobies friends ran up to give them hugs and congratulate them. Oz gave Willow a quick kiss before he and his bandmates jumped onstage for their set. They threw on headphones, so they could tune up with the sound going through their speakers. The crowd at the Bronze was enjoying the 20-minute intermission, mingling with the Scoobies, getting drinks, and dancing to the latest helter-skelter, fabulous pop song.

"You guys were amazing!" Dawn gushed as she ran up to the Scoobies. She gave her sister a huge hug.

"Absolutely perfect as usual, girls," Joyce said, beaming at her daughter and her friends, their faces still shining with post-performance high.

"Thanks, Mom! This was an amazing set," Buffy replied.

"It was very fortunate that the Troika was taken ill," Anya said.

"Anya!" Tara replied, slightly horrified.

"Hey, it's true! We got lucky, I don't think any of our CD's will be left by the end of the night," Faith said, backing up Anya.

A voice came booming over the speakers. The house DJ was on stage. "How about a hand for the Scoobies! They can help me solve a mystery any day! Now let's hear it for our other hometown sensation. Sunnydale, give a big welcome back to the Dingoes!" The crowd roared, and they were entranced by more music. But one had to note that several were clutching autographs and CD's with the Scoobies emblazoned on them. Sunnydale had a new hometown sensation that night.

The girls turned to watch the show, admiring the grace and talent of their rocker friends. Suddenly Buffy felt a movement at her hip. It was just her cell phone. She picked it up and quickly made her way to the back, to the dressing rooms. They had some soundproofing, so she could at least hear something.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey, Buffy. How's it going?" a distinct voice said over the line. Buffy's heart dropped to her stomach. She hadn't been expecting this. 

"It's going great, Angel. How about you?" she said, in as flat a tone as she could muster. _Must not show any emotion!_ she reminded herself.

"Fantastic! I just wanted to see how you were doing."  
  
"Oh, you had a free night? That's nice. It's very polite that you thought of me," Buffy said flatly. She was getting good about saying sarcastic things without a sarcastic bent in her voice. Angel didn't deserve any emotion. Not after the 4 years of hell he put her through, not liking her music, not liking anything she did, her believing he was the one true love she needed, assuming he'd change and be supportive for her and telling everyone he had so much good inside but he just didn't know how to show it. Basically she'd been an idiot. But every girl is at one time or another in her life.

"You're so funny, Buffy!" Angel laughed. The man was far too dense to understand the effect a phone call had on Buffy. Especially a phone call from Mr. I'm So Fucking Perfect That I've Got A New Girlfriend Two Weeks After We Broke Up And She's Perfect And I'm A Big Whore.

It'd been a few months now, but every now and then Angel called and every time Buffy tried to tell him she couldn't be friends and talk to him now, he'd whine and say "whyyyyy????" Obviously all human emotion and understanding how other people felt were not his strong suit. He was after all a moron. She'd tried to break up with him several times before, but he kept coming back and she kept letting him. She'd tell him they needed to break up and he'd given an "okay!" and continue their conversation. He was never serious and he never listened to her. Of course it didn't help that he lived in Sacramento, a good several 100 miles away from Sunnydale. He had to move last year for a job, and it'd been torture.

Buffy had thought that would be it but was elated when he said he didn't want to break up. She'd been an idiot. It had been her opportunity out of a dead relationship and she never took it. A few months ago, he finally got tired of her not being able to visit him because she was busy with a job too. He'd gotten sick of the fact that she was apparently complained too much, even though she didn't, he just didn't listen to a thing she said because he was an ass. He'd broken up with her in the most cowardly way.

Angel had IM-ed Dawn, someone he rarely talked with, to get an idea if he should break up with Buffy. Little did he know that Buffy had been logged onto AIM as Dawn for a moment, and the entire conversation was carried out with Buffy pretending to be Dawn and seeing Angel's every word. Buffy, still posing as Dawn, had asked Angel an all-important question.

Now, it should be known that Buffy wasn't a big believe in love or saying the "L" word because even though she was a writer, words were just words and if a person loved another person their actions should show it. But Buffy was also a girl, and after going 4 years without hearing Angel ever say the "L" word, and not minding, Buffy had to ask pretending to be someone else, to see if Angel's answer would be different. So as Dawn she asked Angel, "Do you love her?" and Angel had replied, "I don't know." And Buffy (still posing as Dawn) probed further, "Then why are you with her if you can't tell after FOUR years if you love her?" and his reply came back as "Well it's like we're on the same plane and she really gets me." Of course Buffy got him, he was a self centered, egotistical, shallow, bastard who never cared about her a day in his life. It didn't matter, and at that moment Buffy knew someone so cowardly had to be dealt with. And so they broke up finally and she was free.

Less than two weeks later, well more like 10 days, Angel had a new girlfriend. Not that Buffy believed Angel would cheat because he wasn't that kind of a guy. Jerk, yes. Asshole, yes. Fucking stupid goatman, yes. Cheater, no. But that's how men are. They toss out the old and bring in the new so they don't have a chance to grieve, don't have a chance to realize how much they really lost, no time to really be hurt because they don't want to be, they just rebound and fall into bed with the next available thing, no matter who it was. Because that's how men are. At least Buffy could take comfort in the fact that Darla was an idiot. Angel had commented a few times about how he wished she were a little smarter, and Buffy felt a little sorry for this new girl since she hadn't had a chance to got to college yet, so how could Angel get upset with her if she didn't possibly understand the complexities of economics theory or read up on corporate law, because who's going to pick that up off the street?

Buffy shook her head, taking the bad thoughts out of her mind. She heard Angel say, "You're so funny, Buffy!" to which she replied "Yes, I suppose I am."

"So what's up?" Angel said.

"Nothing. I'm out at the Bronze. We just finished playing a killer set."

"What you and the Scoobies? Oh you guys are still together, that's good," Angel said absentmindedly.

"Of course we're ... no, no, I'm not going to do this. I see what you're doing Angel. You're just trying to make me mad as always because you think it's funny. But not this time, I don't have to deal with you anymore. Let _her_ deal with you. But anyways, our set was great. We're thinking of going on tour," Buffy said (of course lying her ass off about the "on tour" part).

"Cool. Guess what I did today? I went cave crawling. It was pretty cool. You should try it, even though I know you never want to. It's like the most fucking awesome thing ever," he said, his definitive Irish brogue coming clear across the phone. It had been that damn sexy accent that had hooked Buffy in the first place, but of course it was meaningless now. Wasted on a lousy human being.

"You mean spelunking?" Buffy said, tossing in a fancy word. Angel always had to be the smartest at everything or at least pretend to.

"Yeah sure, whatever," he said, dismissing her intelligence as usual. "Anyways, it was awesome."

"How lovely. Did _she_ go with you?" Buffy said.

"Yeah, she did. And her sister and her boyfriend," he said.

"Well aren't you just part of the family now?"

"More than I was of yours," he said.

"Well I can't help it if Dawn hated you," she said.

"Pffft, she didn't really hate me. How can anyone hate me?" Angel laughed.

"You want a bet," Buffy muttered. "Whatever, anyway so how's life?"  
  
"Great! I think I'm going to be heading down to Sunnydale in a few weeks, so I'm going to come visit you!"  
  
"No."

"No?" Angel asked.

"That's right, no. I don't want to see you. Besides what would _she_ say?"

"I'm not going to ask her or tell her. She doesn't own me."  
  
"Oh so you're just sneaking around to see your ex? I'm not going to do that. You're going to make her miserable too, and be in a whole lot of pain if she finds out and you never told her. I have a feeling that even though she's kind of stupid like you've said before, there's no way she can be _that stupid_."

"It's my life and I'm going to see you," he said stubbornly.

"No, you're not. It's my life too and I don't want to see you. Angel, look every time we talk all we do is start fighting. I don't think we're ready to be friends yet."  
  
"You say that every time and then you call me," Angel said.

"Okay, how many times in the past two months have _I_ called _you_? You're the one calling me," Buffy said.

"That's right, I'm still calling you. How else we going to be friends?"  
  
"No, no, no, no Angel Liam Fitzpatrick. Don't you turn this on me. I'm not the one doing this, calling up your ex when you're got someone new in your perfect life. I'm no the one doing this. It's easier for you, you know that? I wish it was easy for me, but it's not. I'm happy for you, but I need time to heal."  
  
"So what you don't want me to call you again?" Angel said, anger seeping into his voice.

"Yes! No! I mean YES! Don't call me for a while," Buffy said.

"Well I'm still going to see you when I'm in Sunnydale," Angel said firmly. 

"No you won't. Why would you want to? What's it going to do?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know," Angel said lamely and quietly.

"What, you want to check up on me and ensure that I'm miserable?" Buffy asked.

"I didn't say that!"

"But you implied it," she said. "Besides what if I'm dating someone new!"  
  
"You can't!"  
  
"I don't think it's up to you Angel, I'm not your property." 

"You're not allowed to date anyone new! That's not how it works!" Angel said.

"So you want me to grow old, be 80 and single with a bunch of cats?" Buffy said, wishing she could reach across phone lines and get her hands around Angel's fat neck. Even when they were dating, only he could make her angry like no one could. "Because I won't, Angel. I've been moving on, but you're not helping. Look, I really care about you and I know that maybe one day in the future we could be good friends since we spent so much time together," Buffy said.

"But I don't want to burn any bridges," he said.

"We won't be, I promise. If something catastrophic arises, we'll be here for each other. But right now, that stupid girl, as much as I think she's a whore, she deserves a chance to get to know you and to be in your life, and I'm not going to do this to her or to myself. I might not like her, but I'm not going to be the other woman in your sick little game. You can't have your cake and eat it too."

"What? I can't have pie a la mode?" Angel said, not even being a bit serious.

"Cake, not pie, moron," Buffy sighed, laughing slightly. "Look, I don't hate you, you don't hate me. We both know that. If we're supposed to be friends one day we will be, okay? And that's that. I'm sorry I just can't talk to you. Don't call me, don't email me, don't contact me, and I will do the same for you. Please, if you really claim to understand me, if you really claimed that you cared about me in some sick, twisted way you'd know why I needed this, and you'd do this for me, okay?"

"Buffy, why does it have to be like this? Who says we have to follow those stupid breakup rules?" was all that Angel said.

"I do. This isn't for you, it's for me, Angel. I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be. Okay? Look, maybe one day in the future we'll be better friends for this. But right now, we aren't. And we're just going to end up killing each other if we keep trying."

"But," Angel began.

"Here, I'll give you two options. Either a) you call me in a month or b) I'll call you when I'm ready. Take your pick, if this is so hard for you," Buffy compromised.

Angel returned, "I don't care," as was his usual apathetic and fed-up nature when any talk of relationships arose. He was always like that, God help his new girlfriend, stupid as she was.

"Fine, I'll call you once I'm ready. It won't be anytime soon, but I promise, we'll always be friends on some level," Buffy said. At least she could end this peacefully and make herself feel better in the process so she wouldn't reach for the phone 2 days later thinking she'd been really mean to Angel, even though she hadn't been. She was just that kind of a person, always thinking about others' feelings.

"Whatever," Angel said, emitting a harsh sigh.

"Okay then. Goodbye Angel," Buffy said, hanging up her cell phone without giving Angel a chance to respond. She set the phone on the table in front of her, put her head in her hands and began to cry. Quiet sobs wracked her entire body as the band played on. What a cliche if there ever was one.

She never heard anyone else walking up and knocking at the dressing room door. The music did tend to be overpowering. She didn't see the doorknob turn, she didn't see the door open, and Buffy didn't see someone walk into the room until they spoke.

"Buffy Summers?" a voice asked out of the blue. Buffy gasped, very startled. Her heart jumped out her stomach and up into her throat.

As she looked up, she was unable to believe who stood before her. Her hands flew to her mouth, and she blinked as if this was some kind of mixed up dream. Finally her voice came back to her and she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh my God," she breathed softly. "Oh my God."

**A/N:** Those lyrics were made up by me, of course not my best work, they were just something to put in for the moment. That's not meant to be an entire song, just the opening of a song. Just so you know. I know it doesn't really matter, but it was more FYI stuff. :)


	8. Caritas

**A/N:** Oooh a bonus chapter!

**_Battle of the Bands_**

**by: Fashiongrrl**

**Chapter 8: Caritas **

_The next day, only a few hours after Andrew had broken the news to the Vampires (a continuation of the Saturday in Chapter 6)..._

Lorne Green sat behind the bar at Caritas, only the most happening nightclub in LA, taking inventory on what appeared to be a pleasant Saturday afternoon. He heard the bell attached to the door give a little jingle and looked at his watch. It read 3 pm. Neither in time for the lunch rush or the dinner hour, he wondered who was invading on his quiet time at this hour. Two very upset figures trudged into Caritas and threw themselves into seats at the bar. Lorne took a minute away from his work and looked up into the forlorn and utterly defeated faces of Rupert Giles, big time record producer at Magic Box Records and Andrew Wells, manager of everyone's favorite Vampires.

The meeting with Wolfram, Inc. had gone worse than planned and it looked as if Vampires in Love were very close to losing their tour schedule completely. They had little hope that anything could be worked out. Not only were Giles and Andrew losing out on money, that wasn't the half of it. The worst part was watching the crestfallen faces of Spike, Wes, Xander, and Riley. In all the time Giles had worked with the Vamps, he'd never seen them as unanimated as they were when they walked out the executive boardroom at Wolfram, Inc.

"Hey Lorne," Andrew said rather flatly, his cheery demeanor obviously misplaced at the moment.

"Lorne," Giles said with a nod.

"Well hey there, Sad and Sadder, what's with the frowny faces?"

"The end of the world!" Andrew wailed, sinking his head into his hands.

"I'm afraid Andrew is being a bit melodramatic, although a nice scotch neat would help matters at the moment," Giles said. Lorne watched as Giles methodically pulled a handkerchief out his pocket, took off his glasses, and proceeded to unnecessarily polish the already immaculate lenses. He'd seen the move several times before and he immediately knew something was amiss, but he knew pressing Giles wasn't going to get him any information.

"Oooh, can I get a rum and Coke?" Andrew said, his blonde head shooting up. Giles gave him a sideways glance and sighed.

"Let me guess, hon, lots of Coke but hold the rum?" Lorne chuckled, remembering Andrew's usual order. He busied himself with getting out some glasses and pouring a finger of scotch for Giles.

"No, this time lots of rum, hold the Coke," Andrew said.

The bottle slipped from Lorne's fingers and splashed scotch all over the top of the bar. Giles reached for some napkins to help clean up the mess, but Lorne stopped him. "Oh my God, it's worse than I thought!" he exclaimed, holding his hand up to his forehead. Giles gave him an odd look as well, he seemed to be full of them today. That's when Lorne started pointing fingers. "You're about to polish your lenses back into sand, you just ordered alcohol, and for goodness sakes it's 3 pm on a fabulous California Saturday, and no one, and I mean no one in their right mind would be spending it inside of a bar. Well not until later tonight anyways. Okay I smell crisis, and not the kind where your purse doesn't match your shoes. What's going on?"

"Parker's Love Machine was arrested last night. Heroin possession," Giles explained.

"Oh my God!" Lorne said. "I knew there was something off about that guy."

"That's not the part that needs an 'Oh my God!' The guys at Wolfram at this close to pulling out of the Vampires tour. Cancelled, finished, kaput, finitio, nada, the fat lady has sung, it's over, sayonara, na na hey hey goodbye, arrividercci, don't let the door hit ..." Andrew rambled.

Giles interrupted, "I think he gets the point, Andrew."

"Oh, sorry," Andrew mumbled nervously.

"You're right, that is the 'Oh my God!' part. This is really bad, if they cancel the Wolfram tour it means --"

"It means we're out a lot of money, merchandise, tickets, equipment, special effects, technicians, costumes, everything in place and all ready to go in a few weeks and we have no bloody opening band! If I could wrap my hands around Parker's neck right now I would snap that boys head clean from his body," Giles said.

"How'd the boys take it?" Lorne said, referring to the Vampires.

"Don't ask," Andrew said, trying not to remember the yelling and screaming and having to restrain Spike in the negotiations with Wolfram, Inc. The only image that came to Giles' mind was the faces of his four favorite rockers, each one's expression gloomier than the next.

"So what's the sitch? I know the Senior Partners at Wolfram aren't exactly big fluffy kittens, but did they strike some sort of a deal? They're not guys who like to lose money," Lorne said, surveying the situation.

"We have two weeks to find an opening act, or else they stick the Vampires in a binding agreement where they open for annoying teen pop sensation Kennedy! They've got every big lawyer in their department prepared to destroy Vampires in Love if they don't comply," Andrew said.

"Two weeks? No problem," Lorne said with a grin.

"Are you daft man? A fortnight? You can't do anything in a fortnight!" Giles exclaimed, pounding back a scotch that Lorne had just poured.

Lorne walked around the bar, resting his arms on Andrew and Giles' shoulders. "But you see I don't need a fortnight. I just need one night. Go home, both of you need some rest. Shower, take a nap, and take the rest of the day off. Get yourselves dolled up and be back here Tuesday night around 8 pm. Bring the boys around too."

"Tuesday night? Wasn't Mystik Spiral supposed to be on then? I've heard them old man, and they are not what we need. I don't know why you're so charitable to them," Giles worried.

"What can I say, I got a little crush on the lead singer. He's delish! But no, they're not on tonight. Artistic differences. They broke up again on Thursday, and I don't think they'll be back together for at least another week. That's usually how long it takes them to come up with a new name. I think this is the fifth time this year," Lorne said. He pulled Andrew and Giles out of their seats and ushered them towards the door.

"Oh my God, its not Happy Meals With Legs or the Gentlemen or that freaky granola-eating hippie Gwendolyn Post? She asked me to be her manager and I gave her a definite no," Andrew said. "She was really scary, she told me she was going to put a hex on me!" he whispered as an afterthought.

"No, don't worry chickadees, it'll be all right, I promise," Lorne replied.

"Please don't tell me its Hope and Mr. Trick? That was the saddest lounge act you'd ever booked," Giles said.

"You forget, I had nothing to do with any of those bands playing here. I was on vacation that month, remember? That was all Flutie's doing. I fired him after I heard Happy Meals With Legs. I couldn't do anything about the other bands. But trust me on this one, I've got a winner. You'll love them, and if you don't -- which would actually be impossible -- but if you don't, then I'll open up for the Vamps myself. I do a really good version of 'Baby One More Time,'" Lorne said.

"The Earth is doomed," Giles said as Lorne ushered his friends out the door.

Lorne was the owner of the hippest, trendiest, most amazing club in LA. He was well known all around the globe for his various nightspots like the 9:30 club, the Viper Room, the Canal Club, and a host of other famous nightclubs. And in music circles he was known as the guy to talk to if you wanted to launch a career. A spot at one of his local band nights had brought glory to such talents as Incubus, Usher, Yellowcard, and the Donnas to name a few. He was also the owner of the national music magazine, _Revolver _and he did host a late night music hour on MTV occasionally. He wasn't perhaps the most famous celebrity, but if you were in music or if you followed the lives of celebs and where they partied, you knew who Lorne Green was.

The night before...

_"Buffy Summers?" a voice said._

_"Oh my God!" Buffy breathed softly. She jumped out her chair, wiping her eyes with a tissue._

_"Did I catch you at a bad time, hon? Are you okay?"_

_"No, no, I'm just fine."  
  
Lorne walked toward her and extended a hand, "I'm really sorry if I interrupted, but my name is Lorne Green and I own a little club in LA called --"_

_"Caritas? I wouldn't call it little," Buffy said, shaking his hand._

_"Oh so you've heard of it?" Lorne said, pleased._

_"Mr. Green --" Buffy began._

_"No, no. Just Lorne. None of this Mr. Green business, just Lorne," he said interrupting her._

_"I'm sorry, Lorne," she said before she continued. "Heard of Caritas? It's just one of the best music venues in the country. You've got excellent taste."_

_"Thank you! And you play excellent music."  
  
"You heard us?!" Buffy asked incredulously._

_  
"Heard you and loved you. I actually wasn't supposed to be in Sunnydale today, one of my employees was supposed to be down here scoping out some local talent but he had an unfortunate incident with a pink slip, so I took a drive down here. It's a pretty nice place."_

_"Thank you, Lorne."_

_"No thank you, I wish there were more bands like you. It'd make my job a lot easier. Anyways, I was wondering if I could invite you and Scoobies to play at Caritas?"  
  
"Oh my God! You're serious?"_

_"100 percent."_

_"We... we'd love to!_

_"Excellent. One thing, I know this is short notice, but I have an opening for this Tuesday. Tuesday is one of our busiest weekday nights, and if we don't have a band, it's always bad business any night of the week in Hell-Ay."_

_"Tuesday? I'm sure that shouldn't be a problem, but if you don't mind I've got to talk it over with the rest of the guys," Buffy said._

_Lorne linked arms with her and steered her towards the door, saying, "Well, do you think they'd mind if we found them now? I'd like you all to come to LA as my guests. I don't know what it is Buffy Summers, but there's just something wonderful about you girls. Maybe it's the fashion sense combined with good music. It's been a while since we've had a fashion conscious and talented girl band around, and I intend to keep an eye on you all."_

_  
With that Lorne and Buffy walked out into the Bronze, in search of Faith, Anya, Tara, and Willow, ready to give them some news that might just change their lives forever."_

"Just you wait until Tuesday, Giles. I promise you'll have something fabulous on your hands," Lorne said to himself. He started humming a little tune as he made his way to the kitchen, ready to oversee his staff as they prepared for their usually busy and stellar Saturday nights in fabulous Hell-Ay.

**A/N: **Sorry no S/B yet. Be patient. Good things come to those who wait. You guys are the best readers ever for being so patient. Spuffy love and many Spike shaped chocolate cookies for all - FG :D


	9. Nostalgia, A Nice Place To Visit

A/N: My goodness, I can't believe I started writing this nearly a year and a half ago. Bad Fashiongrrl! I'm sorry my muse is so slow. My lovely, wonderful, patient, beautiful fans have been asking for an update. The story was outlined in my head, but other chapters just seem to fly in to build it all up. I know, I'm terrible, aren't I? My personal life has been in a moderate amount of turmoil over the past few months, and I thank all of you for continuing to read. And life never settles down. If it's not one thing, it's another. Y'know what I mean? Of course you do, that's why you read, and you love Spuffy, and you love angst, and you get what life really is. Sigh... forgive me for waxing philosophical at the moment. I'm just in a strange place emotionally.

This chappie was dashed off in 3 separate sets of time, it may not be the best but it's something. I hope that will suffice for the moment. Test in 2 weeks, ahhhhh, so much studying! But without further adieu, I give you Chapter 9 of the "Battle of the Bands" saga.

Spuffy love and Spike-shaped cookies (or just a naked Spike... mmmmm!) - Fashiongrrl

**_Battle of the Bands_ **

**by: Fashiongrrl**

**Chapter 9: Nostalgia, A Nice Place to Visit**

Buffy's eyes fluttered open at 6:30 AM Sunday morning, a very ghastly hour to be up. Normally her mom would get up around 9:00 AM, Dawn would follow suit around 10:00 AM, and Buffy would finally roll out of bed around 11:00 AM. What could she say? She enjoyed her sleep. A lot. But this morning she felt like she was about to burst. Today was the day the Scoobies were venturing to LA to meet Lorne, get a lay of the land, and enjoy themselves.

Buffy knew she should not expect anything extravagant to happen. It's not like they would be offered a record contract magically or asked to sing for someone really important. Things like that didn't happen to normal people. Okay, well of course they did. That's what you heard on "VH1 Behind the Music" or "MTV Diaries;" stories about simple people only trying to make good music who went from rags to riches in an instant. It was the American dream.

She got up and paced her room like a caged tiger. The pinkish-orange glow of morning was starting to filter through the curtains, casting a beautiful mellow aura around her room. Her mind was racing, so many plans, what songs to play, what to wear, what to pack! Buffy sighed, pulling a bag out of the closet. Of course she didn't bother to pack last night, the Scoobies had gone out to the Bronze again. But this time it was to celebrate their good fortune. Moving the bag she spied a notebook in the back corner of the closet. Buffy was surprised it was still there after all these years -- her journal. She pulled it out and ran her hand over the cover, before taking a breath and cracking it open.

_September 3, 1996_

_Dear Journal,_

_I can't believe Mom made us move to this stupid place! None of my friends know where Sunnydale even is. Who would want to live here??? It's so different from LA. Can you believe they have only one mall? What do they do for fun around here? Why not just send me to boarding school or a convent! Anything would be better than here. Got to go, time for the first day of school. I hope Sunnydale High is at least a little like Hemory. Goodbye LA, hello Sunnyhell._

_-Buffy_

Buffy smiled while reading that entry. It was the day she had met Willow. It seemed like it was yesterday. She picked up another notebook -- it's not that easy to fit your entire life into a 100 page spiral over the course of 8 years. This journal was from college. By this time she'd given up the whole "dear journal" intro and just wrote. Good times at Sunnydale University. Buffy couldn't believe she'd decided to stay in what she'd first considered to be the hellmouth of the entire world. Somehow Sunnydale grew on her.

_April 14, 1999_

_Party time! Friday night! Mu Epsilon is having a spring fling party, and Faith and Anya are dragging us all out. I can't even remember the last time I went to a frat party. I think it must have been last semester? We practice every night, we have a gig coming up in a week, but still nothing. I don't get it. I think I'm going to actually have to start paying attention to my classes once summer session starts. We've got finals in a few weeks, but it wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to go to college for a year, someone would discover us, and it'd all pan out. Oz and Dingoes might have a recording contract in the works! Lucky! Not that they aren't good -- they're amazing. I just hope that's us one day. Oh well, time to get ready. It's been an insane week. But I think this guy in my European History class might like me. His name is Angel and I think he's Irish. Hello salty goodness!_

_-Buffy_

By this time Buffy was on the floor, pulling out notebook after notebook. She came across an entry from a few years ago, most likely somewhere in the middle of junior year. She and Angel had been dating for a while at this point, but it was starting to go downhill. Everything had been rose-colored glasses back then, but in retrospect she couldn't help but smile at their own stupidity and ignorance when things started to go downhill. They'd been two very different people in the first place, and it never made sense why they started dating. But then again, the best things in life often don't make sense.

_February 17, 2001 _

_Angel and I had the biggest fight today. He's such an ass sometimes! We were practicing for a show, he comes into my apartment, takes one look at us, and gets all broody that I'm not there for him and that my music isn't going to get me anywhere. Everyone keeps asking me why I'm with someone who doesn't believe in me. I wish I knew. Why do I hate him and love him at the same time? This makes no sense._

_-B._

She smiled at the last line before shutting the notebooks and replacing them in her closet. No time for nostalgia right now, she had to pack! She got up and started working her way through her wardrobe. Of course it was only going to be a few days, but who knows what kind of fashion emergencies would arise. The Scoobies were set to leave for LA around noon, so she had a few hours, but better not to cut it close. They were going to meet Lorne at Caritas for dinner at 6 pm and iron out the final details for Tuesday's set. He had also mentioned something about possibly getting them in for some studio time with a friend of his. He'd taken an instant liking to the five girls, and he had a good eye for talent. Buffy felt like at least they had one person in this world on their side, and that was enough to keep holding on -- for now.

* * *

Spike's pen flew across the paper furiously, leaving jagged words stern across the page. It was 6:30 AM in LA, and he still hadn't gone to bed. The Vamps had tried to drown their sorrows last night, but they were in a deep depression that couldn't even be remedied by alcohol. Of course there were plenty of illicit substances around on the LA circuit, but it was a better idea not to mess with things like that. They'd seen artists kicked off of Magic Box's roster, no matter how important and how talented and how financially critical they were. Magic Box Records had a serious policy of running a clean place of business, something that was rarely seen in the music industry, but something that kept attracting only certain people through their doors. Less mess, less legal drama, less financial troubles, it seemed to work out better this way.

Spike was a mess of confusion, anger, hatred, and rage on the inside. It'd been only a day since the band had received the terrible news that their very first tour (and now looking like what might be their last tour if they didn't find a solution) was about to be cancelled. His outlet for his emotions was through song, which is perhaps why there was so much of him invested into every piece he wrote. Xander and Spike primarily wrote, while Wes and Riley took care of the musical accompaniment. Several years of classical piano for Wesley and an intense regimen of drums, trumpet, and various other percussion instruments for Riley helped the duo string together the most beautiful simplistic but complicated melodies and harmonies that were quickly becoming a Vampires in Love trademark along with the Edwards/Harris songwriting team.

In short, he was pissed off. Pissed at the world, pissed at Parker, pissed at Magic Box, pissed at Wolfram Industries, pissed at Drusilla, basically pissed off at anyone and everyone and everything in the entire universe this morning. Everything had started to take off a few months ago, and all of a sudden it was like someone snatched it away, knocking the wind out of him, sending him dangerously close to a bout of depression.

They'd spent so much time trying to get to the top. The Vamps had invested so much of their young lives into this career, into making music take off. Of course 26 wasn't terribly old, but he felt old. Years and years of taking care of Wes, years of missing his mother, years of striving for the affection of his father, years of writing songs no one ever heard, years of playing the guitar so hard to vent his frustrations that it caused blisters to form at his fingertips, and perhaps on his very soul.

He remembered the first song he'd written -- all those years ago. All for a girl named Cecily. It was always about a girl, wasn't it? Seemed like it. She'd laughed in his idealistic face. He was only 17, gangly, skinny, a mess of brown curls, oversized glasses, and teen angst so deep he wasn't sure where it would end. Of course Cecily never liked it. She'd crushed his spirit, spitting out words he'd never forget no matter how long he lived, "you're beneath me, William." He was _beneath_ her, so he'd risen to the occasion. He wrote and wrote and wrote. Suddenly Cecily didn't seem so important anymore, but music did. It ignited a terrific fire in his depths that couldn't be quelled. Words struggled to get out; lyrics had to make their way from his lips into the world. That's what music meant to him. That's what the Vampires meant to him. That's why this was the most frustrating and painful thing in the entire universe.

His life was falling apart before his eyes and he was powerless to do anything. You can't make someone love you, you can't make a multi-million dollar corporation let you run the show, you can't use years of blood, sweat, and tears as a guarantee that you're going to make it. He was on a ledge, ready to throw himself over, back into an oblivion he'd hit several years ago, right after his mother's death, and it was something he never wanted to touch again. It didn't matter that the circumstances were different, all that mattered was that there were circumstances dark enough to pull him back into himself and become the creature he struggled so long to be rid of inside.

* * *

Buffy jerked her head up from her packing, a voice on the radio cutting through her distraction.

"Good morning chickadees, it's DJ Lorne stopping in to visit my favorite morning DJ's at KROQ. I've got a special treat for you on the So Local SoCal Beat. As you know, every morning we showcase a new local band, and today I've got the greatest one for you. I was saving this one for tomorrow morning, but I can't help myself! Don't worry, I know all of you are going to love this band, and worry that no one will get to hear it tomorrow morning. This is still scheduled for the Monday morning edition of the So Local SoCal Beat, but for all you lucky early birds here's a preview. This reminds me of what real music should sound like. Ah, nostalgia. It's so in right now. A little backstory first, so Friday night I was down in a little time called Sunnydale..."

Her eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen. She couldn't believe it. Jumping up, she ran through the house screaming, "Dawn!!! Wake up! Mom! Turn on KROQ!!! Now!!!" Grabbing the phone she dialed Willow's number frantically. Lorne had said he'd wanted a copy of their tape and that maybe he'd get it on the radio, but no promises. She couldn't believe their luck. They had given Lorne a demo, and he said perhaps he'd find a way to get some airplay for them, but she'd never imagined that he'd be able to get them on "The Beat!" as it was referred to in tre posh music circles.

"Hello?" answered a groggy Willow.

"WILLS!!! Turn on KROQ, we're on The Beat! Call Tara, I'm going to call Faith and Anya. Now!!!" Buffy shouted into the phone, while jumping around the house with glee.

"OH MY GOD! Calling Tara, check! Bye!" Willow said in one breath, as she reached for the radio with the other.

One by one the Scoobies turned on KROQ and danced like maniacs through the house, screaming at the tops of their lungs, knowing full well today was going to be a great day.

* * *

Spike ripped a sheet from the notepad resting in his lap, words strewn across the page as if he'd opened his brain and let them leak out. He smiled at the beauty of his words, knowing this one would be a hit. Despite the circumstances, Spike still had that gift for words in him. Thank goodness he at least had that. A weary peace settled around him, associated with the fact that he'd just written a nearly amazing song. With a little help from Xander he knew it would be perfect.

He folded the sheet in half and placed on the nightstand, next to his clock. It read 7:00 AM. He flipped on the radio, hoping it the soothing strains of KROQ would help him drift to sleep. Emotionally and physically exhausted, he let his head fall back onto the pillow hoping for a few hours of sleep before his scores of meetings with everyone under the sun in the music industry.

Lorne's voice traveled across the room announcing the latest group to make a debut on The Beat, as an already sleepy Spike started to lose consciousness. He wasn't sure if it was real, but the last thing he heard was the angelic strains of "I want you, I need you, I think I melt without you..." echoing from his radio. Halfway to a dream state, he smiled subconsciously before letting the REMs take over. It was in that moment that he knew, no matter what the stressors this situation was bringing him, something was trying to tell him that somehow it would be all right.

**A/N: **I hope you liked it. Sort of trying to tie things together. Off to study for an exam, wish me luck. And I turn 24 in a few days... someone get me out of here! I wanna be a kid again.;) Ahhh, real life, dontcha just love it? Sorry for all those of you lovlies whose stories I have not been able to keep up with recently. You know I love you all and will read as soon as ... well as soon as I get my MD in like 1.5 more years of scutwork, med schooling, living out of the hospital 20 out of 24 hours a day, never sleeping, scarfing down junk food, doing power yoga, balancing life and school/work like everyone else, and loving every bloody minute of it! I live for pressure!!! Hehehehehe.Hugs to all! :) - FG


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